Naruto Shippuden: Tale Of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami
by Kazumi Silverwolf Hatake
Summary: After almost three years, Naruto, Kazumi and Sakura reunite with Kakashi as they continue their search for their power-crazy teammate, Sasuke Uchiha. But along the way, they have to deal with the infamous members of the Akatsuki. Sequel to The Younger Sister Of Kakashi Hatake.
1. Naruto's Homecoming

**Oi, everyone. It's been awhile since I finished my first Naruto story. Well, I decided to continue into Shippuden. Sorry about the title, I really suck at coming up with them. :P (Also, I'll try to post as frequent as possible, so just bear with me. Arigato.)**

**-Kazumi**

* * *

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter One: Naruto's Homecoming, Old Teammates Reunite_

**Normal Point of View, Hidden Leaf Village:**

It was just another normal, but busy, day in Konohagakure. The sun shined brightly in the cloudless blue sky, warming up the area and eliminating the cool air from the night before. Throughout the village, young children were either running around, playing ninja, while others headed off to the academy. Businesses were opening up, readying themselves for another day of hard work. Shinobi of the village were patrolling, others prepared to be sent off on missions, start a long day's worth of training or teaching young ninja the importance of being a ninja of the Hidden Leaf.

Over inside the Third Training Grounds, a familiar silver haired figure was standing before the Memorial Stone. Although her attire somewhat changed, many who knew Kazumi would recognize her on the spot. While she stood there, the wind gently blew her lengthened hair, which cascaded down her back, barely reaching the mid-lower part of her back. Her short bangs still hung over her forehead, which were slightly parted to reveal the Hidden Leaf emblem on her headband. Her side-bangs have also grown and hung pass her chin a little.

As for her attire, she still wears her sleeveless dark navy shirt (with her mask attached). Over that she wears a black short-sleeve hooded jacket with a light grey hood and sleeves. Around her neck hangs her (diamond) crystal necklace (Naruto had given her). Like she promised, she never took it off, not even when she goes on missions. Her pants and shoes are now black, and both of her ankles are still wrapped with bandages. Like the traditional uniform, she has a white bandage wrapped around her right thigh with her holster secured over it. In addition, she now wears dark navy armbands, which cover her wrists up to the middle of her forearms with steel armguards. (The same length as her armbands.) Also, she still carries her katana, which is strapped to her back.

As she continued to stand there, her eyes were closed while her head was slightly tilted towards the ground. After a moment, her eyes opened to reveal her clear slate grey eyes. She takes a step forward and kneels down to one knee as she reaches out to touch two names on the stone.

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

After sitting there for a solid minute, while I said a small prayer, I finally stood up and returned back to my full height. I turned around and proceeded out of the grounds, heading back to the village. I started visiting the monument more often than I used to. So today, I decided to visit before anything could come up and keep me from doing so.

"_Wow. I can't believe it's been two and a half years already._" I thought. "_Heh, now that I think about it, I wonder when Naruto and Master Jirayia will return._"

"_**You never know. It may be sooner than you think." Kiyiya answers seconds later.**_

"_Yeah, you're right._" I agreed. "_And I can only wonder if he'd matured at all. I know he probably has gotten taller, but I want to know if he'd matured mentally._"

"_**Well… we won't know until he gets back." Kiyiya says. "But it's a possibility."**_

"_I know one thing… it's been quiet with him gone, that's for sure._" I thought the last part privately to myself.

"_**So… What do you have planned for today?" She asks. "We know it's only a matter of time before Lady Tsunade gives you a mission."**_

I folded my hands behind my head and kept looking ahead, "_Well, I need to be training to gain control over your power._" I answered."_In case you've forgotten, I nearly lost control the last time we decided to test out my limit._"

"_**Trust me, I remember it perfectly." She says. "You just need a little more time. You didn't think you were going to achieve this in just two and a half years? It takes longer than that, and it depends on the host and their partner."**_

"_Since you're saying that, I take it that the other Tailed Beasts aren't as friendly as you._" I replied. "_Well… I shouldn't be surprised. Take Shukaku and Kurama for example. Those two have the biggest egos I've ever seen._"

"_**My point exactly. They both think they are superior then everyone else. And that includes both human and Tailed Beast." She says. "So don't worry. You'll be in control in no time."**_

"_Yeah. They kind of remind me of Uchiha._" I replied._ "But don't forget, the main dilemma is figuring out the riddle to this damn seal if I'm to release you completely._" I reminded her. "_Once we have that, we can really get to work._"

"_**That's true. And who knows what kind of seal Orochimaru used. It could take us years, if not more, to figure it out." Kiyiya said.**_

"_Well, we need to hurry. We don't have years to complete this task._" I told her. "_We still have the Akatsuki to worry about. And you and I both know that they've been completing their objective of capturing the other Tailed Beasts._"

"_**Yes. That's right." she agreed. "They've only been going after those they know they can capture without any problems. But I know my siblings put up one hell of a fight against them. Neither one of us will go down, not without a fight."**_

"_That's good to hear, but it's still horrible that we're being hunted like this._" I added. "_And before we know it, they'll be coming for us._"

"_**Well, let's not worry about that to any further extent, okay. Let's just focus on the here and now." she suggested. "Agreed?"**_

"_Yeah, agreed._" I replied. "_Well, I guess I could catch up on some reading._ _I haven't been able to read any of my books lately. So today seems like a good day to do so._"

"_**Well, I hope you haven't started reading any of your brother's books." She said.**_

A deadpan expression immediately appears on my face as soon as I hear what she said. "_I can't believe you just said that._" I thought. "_You have got to be kidding me!_"

"_**I'm just messing with you, pup." She replied with a chuckle.**_

"Oh, ha-ha, you're so funny." I replied back with much sarcasm. Before long, I finally made it to the main gates of the village. "Hey Izumo, Kotetsu." I greeted as I stopped at their post.

"Hello there, Kazumi. Where have you been?" Izumo asked.

"Oh, well. I've been at the Memorial Stone." I answered. "I figured I would visit before any impromptu mission or training session came up."

"You went to visit your parents, right?" Kotetsu asks.

"Yeah, that's right." I answer with a slight nod. "So… What's been going on with you two? You both look a bit bored."

"Well, you'll be right. It's been a slow morning." Izumo says.

"Yeah, I bet." I said with a chuckle. "Well, I'll catch you guys later, okay." I told them. I soon started moving, making my way towards the inner section of the village.

"See ya, Kazumi." I hear Kotetsu and Izumo call back together.

* * *

**Normal Point of View:**

While Kazumi made her way inside, the villagers continued to roam the streets, carrying on with their daily routines. Children could be heard running around playing as well. Through the crowd, a familiar pink haired Kunoichi could be seen walking down the streets. She was donning a red, sleeveless top with her Clan's symbol on the back, black shorts, boots and a pink skirt with matching pink elbow pads. She also traded her blue cloth headband for a red cloth to match her attire. Her headband was tied on top of her head instead of it being tied traditionally around her forehead. As she continues walking forward, she suddenly hears a voice of a young boy calling out to her.

"Hey, Sakura…!" That said pink haired girl stopped and turned around to see a small group of kids running right towards her.

"Oh. Hi, Konohamaru." Sakura said as they stopped in front of her.

"So? Where are you off to?" he asks.

"The main gate." She answers. "I have to pick up this morning's pedestrians traffic list for Lady Tsunade. Do you want to come along?"

* * *

**Just pass the village gates:**

"It's been about three years**.**" Naruto says as he walks in front of Jiraiya.

"So it has." Jiraiya replies.

* * *

**With Sakura and the others:**

"…then the cat went nuts and started scratching my face off." Konohamaru continues, causing Sakura to laugh a little as a response.

"We had missions just like that." She told him. "Brings back a lot of memories."

"Hey, by the way. Have you've gotten word or anything about Naruto?" Konohamaru asks.

"No, nothing yet." She tells him.

"Oh, too bad." Konohamaru replies.

"But he should be popping up around here pretty soon though." She adds. "Hey, Izumo…! Kotetsu!" Sakura greeted as she, along with Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi, followed closely behind her.

"Hey you guys. There's something waiting for you all back in town." Kotetsu tells them.

"Yeah! You'll have to see it to believe it." Izumo adds.

"What are you guys talking about?" Konohamaru asks.

"Huh?! No way!" Sakura suddenly says and takes off running.

"Huh?! Sakura!" Konohamaru yells and chases after her.

* * *

**Normal Point of View:**

Back inside the village, Naruto suddenly comes to a stop and drops his backpack on the ground at his feet. He then jumps into the air and begins climbing, running, up the pole. Jiraiya just stands where he is and watches as he's student continues to the top of the pole.

"Always rambunctious." Jiraiya says as he chuckles to himself. Before long, Naruto reaches the top and stands on the pole.

"Now this takes me back! The village hasn't changed a bit!" he exclaims happily and excitedly. "I'm home everyone! Naruto Uzumaki… has returned to the Hidden Leaf Village!" He cheers out once more. "Man. I'm feeling so nostalgic right now."

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

I was sitting on a thick tree branch, reading one of my books as I tried to pass the time. It was a mystery/adventure story which caught my interest. While I was deep into my reading, a familiar voice caught my attention, pulling me away from my book. I looked up and spotted an all too familiar toad sage standing beside a pole, looking up towards the sky.

"_Huh? Master Jiraiya?_" I thought. "_If he's here, so the voice I heard…_"

Before I could finish my thought, I spotted Sakura. She was running at full speed and soon came to a stop right behind Master Jiraiya. Following close behind her were Konohamaru and his teammates. Just like Master Jiraiya, she and the others looked up towards the sky as well.

"What? Can it be?" Sakura asked herself quietly.

"Heh looks like." Konohamaru replies.

"Naruto! Naruto is that you!?" She suddenly asked out loud. "When did you get back to the village, Naruto!?"

"Oh! Just now!" I hear Naruto call back. Seconds later, the familiar orange clad, blonde-haired ninja lands right in front of her. "Long time no see, huh Sakura?" he asks as he chuckles quietly to himself.

"Huh? No way." I breathed out quietly to myself. "It really is Naruto. Heh, just look how much he's grown. He doesn't look like a little kid anymore, that's for sure."

"Huh? Wait a minute." Sakura suddenly says. "You've gotten taller than me, haven't you?"

"Huh? Yeah. I guess I have." Naruto replies while he looks up, using his hand to measure and compare his height to hers.

"_He seems more grown up since the last time I saw him._" Sakura thought to herself. "So… um. What do you think? Do I seem more like a woman to you now?"

"You kidding? Not really. You haven't changed one bit." Naruto tells her as he gives her a thumbs up and a smile. With that comment, Sakura's expression changes in an instant. She turns away from Naruto, folding her arms at the same time.

"Hmm?" Naruto questions as he looks at her.

"_Ugh…. Smooth kid. Could you be any more oblivious?_" Jiraiya thought to himself.

I couldn't help but chuckle quietly to myself. I had to cover my mouth just to be sure I didn't laugh louder than I wanted. But while I sat there, I noticed Naruto had turned his head, now looking my way. I froze in my spot and waited for a minute, just to see if he recognized me or not. My unspoken question was answered when I saw Naruto slowly making his way over. He stood underneath the branch and looked right at me.

"Wait a minute." I heard him say to himself. Seconds later, I saw him raise a curious eyebrow. "Kazumi-chan?" Naruto asks as he continues to look towards me.

"Heh, long time no see, eh, Naruto?" I asked as I put my book away. I soon jumped down and landed a few inches in front of him.

"Kazumi-chan..." He said quietly.

"Hmm? Naruto, what's…?" Before I could finish, I suddenly found myself being lifted off the ground and twirled in the air.

"It's great to see you, Kazumi-chan!" he exclaimed happily as he spun us around. I was caught off guard for a second by Naruto's sudden reaction of seeing me, but I was able to recover.

"It's great to see you too, Naruto." I laughed as he spun around once more. As soon as he stops, he carefully sits me back on my feet. "Geez, Naruto. Just look at you. You really did some growing in just two and a half years. You're no longer than little kid I once knew."

"Yeah, I know. But hey, look at you!" he says as he points towards me. "Not only are you taller, but your hair is longer and you filled out a bit too. You look great." he says as he gives me a thumbs up. That just caused me to blush. Thanks to my mask it was hidden, but I had a feeling that Naruto could still tell that I was.

"Heh, wow… thanks, Naruto. I'll take that as a compliment." I told him as I held the back of my head with my right hand.

"_You have got to be kidding me._" Sakura thought with a glum look on her face.

"It's great to have you back, Naruto." I told him. "I really missed you."

"I missed you too." Naruto tells me. "And it's great to be back." he adds.

"Hey! Naruto!" Konohamaru says, causing Naruto and I to turn around to face him and the others. Small white clouds of smoke appeared, covering him. **"Sexy Jutsu." **He said in a seductive voice.

Master Jiraiya stood there with a nosebleed as he continued to stare. I had half the mind to go over there and _snap_ him out of that damn trance he found himself in. Meanwhile, Sakura had a surprised look on her face. While Naruto and I walked over, I just look at the boy with a deadpan expression. I swear this kid wanted to get punch, ether it was from me or Sakura. Before long, Konohamaru returned back to normal.

"Well? What do you think?" Konohamaru asks. "Not too bad on the curves department, huh?" Naruto just chuckles quietly. "Huh?"

"Konohamaru… I'm not that little kid anymore." Naruto tells him. "And you shouldn't be using Jutsu like that either. It's beneath you."

"_Well I be. It's not just the outside that's changed._" Sakura thought to herself. "_I kind of miss the old Naruto. But you've turned out pretty well, haven't you? Knowing you, I bet you have a whole slew of incredible jutsu to show us._"

"I mean come on, Konohamaru! Is that all you got!?" Naruto yelled. "Now step aside and get a load of my brand spanking new Pervy Ninjutsu!"

"_Right. Like a new Pervy Ninjutsu._" Sakura thought.

"Here we go!" Naruto yelled.

"Are you kidding me!?" Sakura yells and punches the hell out of Naruto, sending him flying back and crashing into the ground. We all watch as she walks over and picks Naruto up, shaking him violently. "What the heck is wrong with you, you pervy little dofus!? We don't see each other for over two years and you've got the nerve to pull a stunt like that!? Do you have any idea how that makes me feel!? Do ya?!"

"_Oh brother. I knew it was too good to last._" I thought to myself. "Alright, Sakura. I think that would be enough." I told her. "There's no need to shake him like some old ragdoll."

"Not a chance." She replied as she kept her eyes focused on Naruto. "I know one thing; I don't miss the old Naruto! Not one bit!" she continued.

"_Yep. Sakura hasn't changed a bit. To be honest, it looks like she's gotten worse._" I thought to myself. "_Oh man. This means Naruto is going to be knocked around again. That's a definite._"

"_That hot quick temper and monster strength. You've raised a Tsunade Junior._" Jiraiya thought to himself.

"_Yep. Sakura hasn't changed at all. She might be even more vicious than ever._" Naruto thought.

Before long, Sakura had final stopped shaking Naruto and drops him to the ground. I walked over and kneeled down beside him. There I helped him sit up. Once he recovered from Sakura's attack, I helped him back to his feet. Even from the violent shaking, Naruto looked to be okay. I honestly thought that Sakura had gone a little too far, but I knew how she was. The punch she delivered would have sufficed, but knowing Sakura, a punch wasn't enough to satisfy that quick hot temper she had. Hell, the old Sakura would have just punched him and be done. She had definitely gotten more violent ever since she decided to train under Lady Tsunade.

"Are you all right, Naruto?" I asked him.

"Yeah. I think so." He replied as he rubbed his head, trying to ease the pain. "Geez. Sakura has gotten stronger... and scarier."

"What was that!?" Sakura snaps, her eyes quickly turning white in anger.

"Nothing! It was nothing!" Naruto quickly told her.

"That's what I thought." Sakura told him, calming down in a sense.

"_Yeah. Things are still the same, that's for sure._" I thought to myself. "I'm glad that Sakura didn't hurt you too bad." I told him, giving him my signature masked smile. "And sorry about her little welcoming gift. You know how she can get."

"No need to apologize, Kazumi-chan. Trust me, I know." he said happily, back to his normal self.

"Alright, Naruto. We better head on over to the Tower now to see Tsunade." Master Jiraiya says. "If we don't give her a proper hello, we're bound to get an earful later."

"Yeah, you're right. So let's head on over to see Baa-chan!" Naruto yells as he grabs a hold of my hand and takes off running, pulling me with him. I quickly started matching his speed so I wasn't being pulled along. "Catch you later, Konohamaru!" He yelled.

"_Yep. He's still the same old Naruto. Good._" I thought to myself. "Come on Sakura! Master Jiraiya! You guys are falling behind!" I yelled as I glanced back at them.

"Hey! Wait up!" Sakura yells and takes off after us. Jiraiya just smiles to himself and begins to move forward as well.

"Come on, Naruto. Slow down." I told him with a chuckle in my voice. "Lady Tsunade isn't going anywhere."

"I know. But I was thinking that after Pervy Sage and I say hello, we can all head over to Ichiraku afterwards and get some ramen." He explains.

"Of course. But I would have thought that you ate ramen while you traveled." I asked.

"Yeah, I did. But it was nothing compared to Ichiraku's ramen here in the Hidden Leaf." He tells me. "I really missed Ichiraku and I can't wait to get a steaming hot bowl."

"Yep. Still the ramen-loving knucklehead I see." I said with a smile clear in my voice. Naruto just laughed along as we continued to run towards the Hokage Mansion.

* * *

**Inside Lady Tsunade's Office:**

"It's been a long time you two." Tsunade tells Naruto and Jiraiya. "Your training proved to be fruitful I hope."

"You think we would have come back without producing any results?" Jiraiya questions her.

"Mission accomplish, grandma." Naruto adds.

"Huh, I'm glad to hear it." Tsunade says. "Show me what you got kid."

"What!? Right now!?" Naruto asks.

"I have someone I would like for you to go up against." She explains. "I've kept him off missions for the last few days so he could be ready for just this moment. Your opponent will be…"

Just as Tsunade was about to announce Naruto's opponent, there was a sudden knock at her office door. When Tsunade called them to enter, the door opened and revealed to be Shikamaru and Temari of the Hidden Sand Village.

"Hey! Shikamaru, Temari, look who's back." Sakura said as she pointed towards Naruto.

"Naruto…? Hey!" Shikamaru says. "If it isn't Naruto!"

"Shikamaru!" Naruto says excitedly.

"_This is that shrimp?_" Temari asks herself.

"So you came back!" Shikamaru says.

"Yeah. I just got back this morning." Naruto explains.

"You don't look like such an idiot anymore or… How to say it? You've changed." Shikamaru tells him.

"He hasn't changed at all." Sakura quickly added.

"Just as I thought." Shikamaru replies.

"Sakura..." Naruto says as he hangs he head down low. After a second, he quickly looks back up. "So, my opponent is supposed to be Shikamaru?"

"Opponent? What are you talking about?" Shikamaru asks. "I just came here to pick up some documents."

"So it isn't Shikamaru?" Naruto asks. "Then." he says as he looks towards Temari. "Uh… Who are you again?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Temari asks him.

"Naruto, that's Temari. You know, from the Hidden Sand Village." I told him. "Remember? She was supposed to be my opponent back at the Chūnin Exams. However, she chose to forfeit instead of fighting against me."

"Heh… Like you would have lasted five seconds against me." Temari replied.

"Oh really?" I asked. The smirk on my face was clearly heard in my voice. "Then how about we go at it right now? I have no problem proving you wrong, Temari."

"Heh… You don't know what you're getting yourself into, Kazumi." She tells me while she leaned towards me with a smirk of her own.

"Oh, I really think I do." I stated back confidently as I leaned forward. After a short tense moment, Temari and I relaxed and just chuckled quietly to each other.

"Whoa. For a second there, I actually thought those two were serious." Naruto said to himself as he sighed with relief.

"Don't worry, they always act like this." Shikamaru assured Naruto. "They became friends when they were on a joint mission together."

"Oh, really…?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah." Shikamaru answered.

"Naruto…! Those two aren't your opponents. He's over there." she says as she points towards the window. Naruto walks over to the window and lifts it up to look out. Sitting on the roof was none other than Kakashi.

"So Naruto, you went and got all grown up." Kakashi says as he looks up from his book. "Hey." He says as he lifts a hand in the air.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto yells as he jumps out the window. Meanwhile, Sakura, Lady Tsunade and I walked over and stood by the window. "Wow sensei, you haven't changed a bit. Ah, that's right. I have a present for ya, Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto reaches inside his pouch and begins to look for something. A second later, He pulls out the item, a book to be exact. As soon as Kakashi recognized exactly what kind of book it was, it caused him to have a shocked and surprised look on his face. Well… It was mainly his body movements and facial expressions that did most of the talking anyway.

"What?" he exclaims. "Y-You…. Th-Th-This is…"

"Here you are. The first new book from the Make-Out Paradise series in three years!" Naruto explains. "It's really boring. But you like this stuff, don't ya, Sensei?"

"_The fool. Like a brat like him would be able to understand just how interesting it is!_" Jiraiya thought to himself. "_And that one hasn't even been put into circulation yet!_"

Kakashi holds the book in front of him and slowly begins to open it. It was almost like a magical moment for him. In fact, a dramatic light show appeared from the book as it was slowly opened wider and wider. Kakashi just grew even more excited with each passing second.

"Okay! Stop goofing around, Kakashi." Lady Tsunade tells him from the window.

"I'm sorry about that, Lady Tsunade. My brother tends to get a little crazy when he gets his hands on one of those stupid books. And it doesn't help when it's a brand new one that hasn't been released yet." I told her as I glared at a certain toad sage, who was the one to blame.

"A little?" Sakura asked. I looked over and saw her with a raised eyebrow. "Try overdramatic." She adds.

"Yeah, you're right." I agreed with a shake of my head. "He does get melodramatic."

"Hey, wait. So, Kakashi sensei, you're my opponent?" Naruto asks.

"You're close but not quite right." Kakashi says as he stands up and walks over to the open window. "Hmm, it's been a while hasn't, Sakura?"

"Yes it has, Sensei." Sakura replied as Naruto jumped through the window to stand inside with me and Sakura.

"Now, to explain who my opponent is." Kakashi says as he jumps and stands on the windowsill. "It's Sakura, Naruto and Kazumi. The three of you together."

"The three of us, against you?" Naruto asked.

"That's right; Kakashi will put you three to the test." Tsunade said. "How well you do against him will determine your future status."

"Their future status, huh?" Shikamaru said to himself.

"So, shall we get started?" Kakashi asked. Naruto just looks at him. "Okay right, you just got back Naruto, you must be tired. We will give you a chance to rest first."

"I'm not tired; I'm ready to go right now." Naruto assured him.

"No, you take it easy. I'll meet you later at the training grounds. So long." He said and disappears in a plume of white smoke.

"I wonder what's wrong. He was in such a hurry." Shizune says.

"I have a pretty good guess." Tsunade says.

"He's planning on reading that book." Shikamaru adds.

"Exactly." I reply.

"Yeah, that look in his eye…. That has to be it." Sakura says.

"_That's only natural since he got one of my books that hasn't even been released yet._" Jiraiya thought as he kept a smirk on his face. I turned around to see him chuckling to himself.

"Wipe that smirk off your face!" I growled, causing Jiraiya to jump slightly. "That's not funny. That's pathetic!"

* * *

After leaving the Hokage Tower, Shikamaru, Temari, Sakura, Naruto and I were all walking down the street in our own conversation. I had to admit, it felt great to walk around town with my old teammates and friends. It's been awhile since we all did this.

"So Shikamaru, are you and Temari on a date or something?' Naruto asked.

"What, no. I'm just her escort. We both have been traveling back and forth from the Hidden Sand to get ready for the upcoming Chūnin Exams." Shikamaru explains.

"Oh yeah, the Chūnin Exams, now that takes me back." Naruto stated.

"Speaking of which, what are you going to do?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hmm, about what?" Naruto asked.

"About the Chūnin Exams." He said. "You are the only one in our year who is still a Genin."

"What!" Naruto yelled. "So wait, Sakura you mean you're a Chūnin?"

"Yep, that's right." Sakura answered as she gave him a peace sign.

"Kazumi, you're a Chūnin as well?" he asked.

"Mm-hmm, you got it." I told him.

"Oh man." Naruto groaned.

"You haven't heard the half of it." Shikamaru continued. "Kankuro, Temari, and Neji all took it a step farther. They all became Jounin."

"Ah, this sucks. I'm still a Genin." Naruto groaned. "Wait! Gaara! What about Gaara?"

"Well, Gaara is now the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand." Temari said.

"I-I see." Naruto said quietly and soon started smiling. "That's great. And there's no way I'm going to be out done by him. I'm still going to be Hokage one day!"

"_Yep, that's Naruto for ya._" I thought.

"Well, I guess we'll catch you guys later." Shikamaru tells us. "Great to have ya back, Naruto."

"Heh, thanks." Naruto tells him.

"See ya later, Shikamaru. Temari." I told them.

"We'll catch you later." Sakura added. They each gave us a nod and turn around to make their way to their destination.

"All right! Next stop, Ichiraku Ramen!" Naruto cheered. "Let's go!"

"Hold it!" Sakura quickly yells, making Naruto stop before he could take another step. "Aren't you forgetting something, Naruto?"

"Naruto stood where he was and looked back at the pink-haired kunoichi and asks, "Huh? What is it Sakura?"

"We have to get ready for our test with Kakashi sensei." She reminds him. "We should use this time to prepare and strategize. Who knows what will be waiting for us. Or what kind of test it would be."

"Unfortunately Sakura is right, Naruto." I told him. "We need to focus on this test first. For all we know, there could be a possibility that if we fail this test, our lives as ninja could be over."

"What!? No!" Naruto yelled and quickly rushed towards us. "Please tell me you're joking, Kazumi-chan!?" He asked as he held me by my shoulders.

"Well, this test does determine our future status. So it is possible." Sakura agreed. "So we can't screw this up."

"We all know that teamwork is the key to completing this test." I told them. "So no matter what, we have to work together, cover each other's weak spots and make sure that Kakashi sensei doesn't get the upper hand on either one of us."

"So? Do you guys have any ideas how we should go about this?" Naruto asks.

"Well, we shouldn't rush into the fight." Sakura says. "We have to be patient and we must pay close attention to Kakashi sensei's moves and everything around us. But with an opponent like Kakashi sensei, we'll have to really be extremely careful."

"You're right about that. Kakashi sensei is not someone you should be lenient about." I added. "When you fight him, you have to fight like your life depends on it. Neither one of us are no longer little kids fresh out of the academy."

"So there will be no reason from him to go easy on us." Sakura says. I just nodded my head to agree with her.

"And there's no reason why we should either." I added.

"Hey. Kakashi sensei may be strong, but I think we can take him." Naruto said confidently. "With the three of us working together, we will win!"

"Well… having a positive state of mind before entering this test will definitely help our moral. But make sure you don't get too cocky, okay." I told Naruto. He gives me a nod but continues to keep that confident look in his eyes. "And I think I might have a few ideas that may be helpful to us."

"Really!? Like what!?" Both Naruto and Sakura ask simultaneously.

"Don't worry. I'll explain them on the way." I told them as I turned around. "Come on. We better start making our way towards the training grounds."

"Right." Sakura agreed.

"Let's go!" Naruto cheered.

Naruto, Sakura and I started making our way down the dirt road, heading straight to the Third Training Grounds. Since we had time before Kakashi appeared, I decided to share a few ideas with them. They had ideas of their own. So there was a good chance that we were going to past this test. Hell, we have to pass it. Our future status as ninja were at stake. And I knew for a fact that there was no way either one of us would give up so easily.


	2. The Ultimate Test Begins

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter Two: The Ultimate Test Between Sensei And Student, The Forming Of Team Kakashi_

**Kazumi's Point of View, Third Training Grounds:**

Naruto, Sakura and I were standing outside the gates of the training grounds. We went over a few last minute details of our strategies, making sure we knew what we needed before we went up against Kakashi. But even with our plans, we weren't sure what the test would be. I had a theory but I rather wait to find out if I was right or not before saying something. Also, even though we didn't know all the details of the test, at least we were ready, to some extent. And besides, I've been training with Kakashi during the time Naruto was away and Sakura was training with Lady Tsunade, I had a better idea of what to expect from him. Then again, Kakashi didn't teach me everything he knew. But, I didn't teach him everything I knew either. Plus with Sakura and Naruto with me, he didn't know what to expect from us.

While we waited, Sakura and I were leaning against the fence. I had my hands folded behind my head, looking up towards the cloudless blue sky high above. Sakura was just leaning there while she looked at her feet. And as for Naruto, he was pacing back and forth in front of us. One thing for sure, Kakashi definitely didn't change his habit for being late.

"Ugh, what is taking Kakashi sensei so long? Is he going to keep us waiting all night?" Naruto groans as he takes a seat on the ground. "I hate waiting!"

"He's always been like this and it looks like he didn't change a bit.' Sakura told us. "Can't say I'm surprised though. I actually expect this from him. Just wait until he gets here. I bet he'll try to make up some kind of lame excuse for being so late."

"And it's all because of that damn book. Why did I even give it to him?" Naruto added. "I regret ever giving him the damn thing."

"Hmm, I don't think he's late just because of that damn book. It could be another reason." I told them as I closed my eyes.

"You can't be serious!?" Sakura yells in a shocked tone. "We all know that he's late because of that damn book. What other reason could he possibly have?"

"You didn't let me finish, Sakura." I told her while I looked at her with half opened lids. "I was going to add that I wouldn't throw the book out of the equation completely. But there really could be another reason."

"Hmpf. Well I think he should take our training sessions more seriously. Our missions count as well." Sakura says sternly. "That stupid book of his can wait."

"He should be here soon. So don't worry about it, all right you two." I told them. "We don't need to get ourselves worked up. We need to remain calm. We don't want to fail this test."

"I suppose you're right." Sakura agreed.

"Heh, don't worry. There's no way we're going to fail, right guys?" Naruto asked us.

"Heh, right." Sakura answered.

"You know we won't." I said.

* * *

…**Forty-five minutes later…**

"AHHH! Are you freaking kidding me!?" Naruto exclaimed loudly. "Come on…! Please don't tell me this is really the test!?"

"Now I'm starting to think it might be." Sakura added.

I looked at Naruto and Sakura and sighed quietly, "Look you two; we all knew this was bound to happen. Kakashi was never one to be _punctual_ to being with. But if it makes you feel better, how about this. If he's not here in the next five minutes, I'll go look for him and drag him here myself."

"I guess you're use to the fact of him being late. I mean, you trained with him for almost three years." Sakura tells me. I just shrug my shoulders. "But I will admit. Seeing you drag Kakashi sensei here. Now that's something I have to see for myself." Sakura commented as she chuckled quietly.

"Yeah, I do too." Naruto agreed, chuckling as well. "That will definitely be funny."

"Yeah, I bet it will be a sight to see, huh?" I asked as I chuckled along with them. "And you know, I just might go and do it."

We just continued to chuckle quietly with each other, imagining how it would look if I did drag Kakashi to the grounds. A few seconds later, a plume of white smoke suddenly appears on top of the gate above us. Once cleared, we spotted Kakashi standing on it as he saluted to us. We all quickly got up to our feet and just stared at him.

"Uh, sorry I'm late, I had to help this old lady….." he started.

"Come on! Give us a break would ya!" We all yelled. Kakashi just sweat dropped.

"Oh man. Since he's here now, we would be able to see it." Sakura said sadly. "That sucks."

"Yeah… You're right about that." Naruto agrees. "Hmpf, that's just great. Looks like he's off the hook this time, Kazumi-chan."

"Don't worry you guys. I promise there's going to be more opportunities of seeing that." I laughed, causing them to laugh with me. "Who knows? It might happen sometime this week if not tomorrow."

"Hmm…? What are you three laughing about?" Kakashi asks as he jumps to the ground.

"It's nothing, Kakashi sensei." We said together in a sing-along tone as we walked pass him, entering through the gates. Kakashi just had a somewhat curious look on his face. Once he got himself together, he started following us. Before long, we were soon standing before three wooden poles.

"Wow. Now, this sure brings back memories." Naruto said.

"Yeah, that's right." Kakashi said, looking away from his book. "This was where your first training exercise took place."

"It was Squad Seven." Sakura said.

"We had our ups and downs and plenty of arguments, but nonetheless, we were still a team." I added. "_Damn Uchiha._" I thought.

"Yes. Back then, we had Sasuke with us, didn't we?" Kakashi said.

When Kakashi looked at us, Sakura, Naruto and I were all on the ground. We all had glum looks on our faces after hearing our former teammate's name.

"_I guess Sasuke is tabooed to these guys._" Kakashi thought to himself. We were brought out of our depressed states once we heard bells, causing us to look up. He holds them up in the air. "All right, show me how far you all have come. The rules are the same as they were three years ago." Kakashi told us. "Come with me with everything you got. You have until sunrise tomorrow to retrieve these bells.

"We come at you with the instinct to kill." Naruto said.

"Because if we don't…" I started.

"…We won't get the bells." Sakura finished.

"That's right." Kakashi agreed.

"You're not going to read your book while you're fighting us right?" Naruto asked as he tightened the strings of his headband.

"I don't think so because he will be too busy." Sakura added.

"He's going to have to pay attention since we're fighting him together." I stated as I placed my hair into a ponytail. "And he knows that we won't be holding anything back."

"You three are absolutely right." Kakashi said as he revealed his Sharingan. "And besides, I'm saving that little enjoyment for later."

"_So… He's using his Sharingan._" I thought to myself. "_Hmm, I see. He's definitely not playing around. This time, he really means business._"

"Because this time around, it's a whole different ball game… Now let's begin!" Kakashi finished.

We stood there, staring down each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. Sakura, Naruto and I knew we had to be careful. This wasn't the normal training session we were use to. This one was serious and the tension could easily be felt. I knew just how tough Kakashi could get, and I just hoped that my teammates were ready.

"Let's go!" Naruto yelled.

Naruto reached in his holster and tossed a few shuriken straight towards Kakashi. Kakashi quickly lowers himself close to the ground and dodged Naruto's attack easily. He reacts by throwing a few right back at Naruto. In order to avoid the incoming attack, Naruto jumps high into the air, dodging them. However, Kakashi quickly tosses a few more. While in mid-air, Naruto summons a shadow clone and pulls himself out of the away, just in time. As soon as the original Naruto lands back on the ground, he transforms his shadow clone into a large shuriken. But before he could throw the large weapon, Kakashi had lunged out and caught him for behind. He held his hand and the back of his head, keeping him from moving.

"That would be enough of that." Kakashi tells him. But Kakashi soon found Naruto's shadow clone standing behind him, holding a kunai at his back. Kakashi was impressed at how much Naruto's timing had improved. "You've matured, haven't you, Naruto?" Kakashi asks him. "However, you still have a ways to go. Alright, start!" Within seconds, Kakashi vanishes.

"Aw, come on!" Naruto stated. "I can't believe he tricked me again."

"Ugh! You big dummy!" Sakura yelled.

"Sakura, seriously. What did I tell you before we started this test?" I asked her. "Now calm down and focus."

"Yeah, whatever." She replied and started looking around her surroundings. A few seconds later, she balled her hand up into a fist and punched the ground, causing it to explode. When the dust and smoke cleared, it revealed a very shocked Kakashi hiding within the crevices. "Kakashi sensei"

"Huh?" he answered.

"Found ya, didn't I?" she asked.

Taking notice of Kakashi's temporary state of shock, I quickly drew my sword from the sheath on my back and rushed forward. I leaped into the air with my sword held readily above my head. While I hovered over Sakura, the blade of my katana began to glow. I had started channeling my white chakra through the blade, creating the famous White Light Chakra Sabre. However, instead of using the family tantō, my katana was the next best thing. I stared down at Kakashi with sharp scrutinizing eyes as I aimed my attack towards him.

"**Ninja Art: White Light Chakra Wave!"** I exclaimed as I swung my sword forward.

As I brought my blade down, a wave of white chakra escaped and headed right towards Kakashi. Seeing this, Kakashi quickly jumps out of the crevice, just in time to escape my incoming attack. The wave of chakra struck the rocks below, slicing through them like they were nothing. I landed in front of Sakura, holding my sword before me. Kakashi had jumped away and was now standing a few feet away from us. I kept my eyes on him, readying myself for his next move. I didn't know what he was going to do next, so I had to be ready to act at a moment's notice.

"Hmm. Attacking me while I was temporarily stunned. Nicely done." He tells me. "Okay. But now it's my turn." Kakashi adds and quickly takes off, heading towards the woods.

"Come on. Let's go!" I told my teammates as I turned around, sheathing my sword.

"Right!" Sakura and Naruto stated together and started to follow my lead.

"_I see. So Sakura has increased her strength with the use of her chakra. And with her excellent chakra control, she knows how to release it at the right time._" I thought to myself as we continued to follow Kakashi. "_And Naruto. His timing has improved. Plus, his control over his shadow clones has gotten better as well. Heh, not bad. Not bad at all._"

As soon as we saw Kakashi had stopped, we quickly separated and hid behind different trees. We also made sure we had a clear view of where Kakashi was hiding. Once we saw an opening, Naruto quickly threw a kunai, but Kakashi was able to dodge it. Naruto went head to head with Kakashi and their kunai knives clash against each other. Kakashi quickly threw three kunai knives towards Naruto but he too was able to avoid them. Naruto soon lands in between me and Sakura.

"Time for today's lesson…" Kakashi said. "This is Shinobi Battle Skills Rule Number One: Taijutsu." Kakashi came forward and began fighting Naruto. Naruto quickly jumps into the air to avoid being hit and lands on a branch above.

"Ha! Got ya!" Sakura yelled as she ran with her fist ready. One swing after another, Kakashi dodged Sakura's attempt to land a hit. "Just need one shot."

"It won't do any good if you don't hit me." Kakashi told her.

Kakashi continue to back away as he dodged Sakura's fists. He backed up against a tree and quickly moved out the way, causing Sakura to strike the tree, snapping the trunk in two. While Sakura avoided the falling tree, I jumped down and aimed a spinning side kick towards Kakashi. I was successfully able to strike his side. I hastily used the momentum to push myself away from him before he could aim some kind of counterattack right back at me.

"Hmm, you were able to get me that time." Kakashi told me. "It appears that you haven't showed me everything you knew during our training."

"Of course I haven't. It wouldn't be fair to give away all my moves during our practice sessions." I replied with a smirk. "But unfortunately for you, I'm not done. I'm just getting started!" I say as I ran forward.

"Hmm, then let's see what you got then." He taunted.

"_Naruto. Get ready._" I told Naruto though our link.

"_Right!_" he replied.

Once I was close enough, I tried my best to get another hit in, but he was making sure that would never happen again. I soon found myself on the defensive as I dodged his attacks. Sakura and Naruto watched from afar as the battle continued. While I distracted Kakashi, Naruto summoned a few shadow clones and went after the bells. But sadly, Kakashi was able to knock them all back. He quickly caught the three clones and used the dancing leaf shadow to cancel them out.

"Hmm, so my guess was right. We're going to need a bigger distraction." I said as I stood beside Naruto and Sakura.

"Don't worry, I've got it." Naruto said. **"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**

Over a hundred clones appeared and had Kakashi surrounded. Kakashi was quickly taking them down, one by one. But as he did so, Sakura decided to use the distraction and struck the ground with a powerful punch. The ground shook and collapsed, causing several of Naruto's clones to cancel out. And even with that, she missed Kakashi.

* * *

…_**Nightfall…**_

As the clock continues to count down,it was finally dark. The only light source came from the bright full moon that shined high above. Perfect. This was my favorite time to use my tracking skills. I preferred tracking in the dark anyway. Naruto, Sakura and I calmly walked through the forest as we searched for Kakashi. Even though we had time, we didn't need to waste any of it. We needed to finish this test and pass.

"Last time I heard the bells, they were coming from this direction." Naruto said. "I'm sure of it."

"But he might have led them here on purpose. To draw us in." Sakura stated. "So we need to be careful."

"That's right." Naruto agreed. "We can't forget who we're dealing with."

"You both don't know how right you are." I told them as I took in the scents around that area. "I have his scent, so he has to be around here somewhere."

"Huh? You have his scent?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah, that's right." I replied with a nod. "For the past two and a half years, I've been working hard at sharpening my tracking skills. And I've become a really good tracker too."

"Great… that's exactly what we need, another Kiba hanging around." Sakura says with sarcasm lingering off every word.

I just narrow my eyes at her comment. I wanted to say something smart back, but decided not to. And besides, now wasn't the time. I needed to keep my attention on the test and nothing else. While we continued to move forward, something in the shadows instantly gains our attention. The closer we got, the clearer the image became. Before long the image manifested completely. It was an injured Sasuke standing before us. He had kunai knives in his back and arms.

"Sasuke!" Naruto said.

"Looks hurt." Sakura added.

"_**Why must she always state the obvious?" Kiyiya asks me. "No matter what the situation, she either has to state what's happening or give us a damn history lesson."**_

"_Kiyiya, be nice. Just ignore her, all right._" I thought back as I chuckled in my head. "_She really can't help herself._"

"Naruto… Sakura… Kazumi… You got to help me." Sasuke strained. "I got away from Orochimaru. I was able to escape. Please, help me. Please you guys, help me."

"Too bad he's not real. I'd give about anything to talk to Sasuke for awhile." She says as she brings her hand forward. **"Release!"** With that, the image of Sasuke started shaking and before long, it disappeared. Naruto, Sakura and I just stood there looking at the empty area. I started cracking my knuckles as I stood there looking ahead. I knew Kakashi was somewhere close by. His scent proved my point. "I don't want to play with your illusions." Sakura said.

"His scent has gotten stronger." I alerted them as I looked around the area. "_Alright, Kakashi. Where are you hiding?_" I thought.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Naruto stated, causing one shadow clone to appear. With that, he started charging the Rasengan in his right hand. I kept my eyes out, looking for Kakashi until I spotted him hiding behind a tree.

"_Heh, there you are, Kakashi._" I thought as I started summoning chakra into my clenched right hand. I soon added my lightning element, earning a few sparks. "_Naruto…_" I started.

"Naruto, Kazumi. Kakashi sensei is standing behind that tree there." Sakura told us.

"_Aw, damn it! Sakura just gave away our chance for a sneak attack._" I groaned to myself.

"Yeah. Don't worry. Kazumi and I got this handled." Naruto told her whilst he ran forward with his attack aimed at the tree. **"Rasengan!"** Kakashi jumped out of the way, which gave me an opening.

"_Ah, to hell with it. Let's go!_" I growled to myself as I ran forward. **"Lightning Style: Lightning Surge Strike!"** I cried out as I aimed for Kakashi.

I swung my arm forward, aiming to hit Kakashi. However, he was able to jump out the way at the last minute, dodging my attack. Instead I struck a nearby tree. My fist went right through the trunk, causing it to fall and collapse to the ground. Quickly Naruto and Sakura ran forward and stood beside me as we all stared towards Kakashi.

"Well, Kakashi sensei." Sakura says.

"Yeah?" Kakashi asks.

"Is there's something you wanted to say?" Sakura asks. "I'm not sure I heard you clearly before."

"Shinobi Battle Techniques Part Two: Genjutsu." Kakashi says.

"You're going to have to come up with something better than that." Sakura tells him. "If you think we're going to fall for that trick again, you're crazy."

"Yeah, we wouldn't be that stupid." Naruto added.

"Really? I wouldn't be so sure about that." Kakashi told him. Suddenly we all looked down and noticed the three silver bells just lying on the ground. I just kept a plain look on my face as I looked towards Kakashi. He was using every old trick he used when we first got assigned to the team.

"Check it out. The bells slipped off his belt." Naruto said as he started to approach the obvious trap.

"No, Naruto don't!" Sakura and I exclaimed together. But it was too late. Naruto stepped forward and set of the trap. A rope wrapped around his leg and snapped him up. He was now hanging upside down with the bells still on the ground below.

"You see, you still fall for the same old tricks." Kakashi said as he smiles with his eyes. Suddenly Naruto disappeared, signaling that it was none other than a clone. This even shocked Kakashi.

"There's no way that I would fall for a dumb old trap like that!" Naruto exclaimed as he rushed forward to punch Kakashi. Naruto succeeded in striking Kakashi but found that it was the real Kakashi.

"Substitution Jutsu." Sakura said.

"Darn it." Naruto growled.

"Why don't you ever listen to me you idiot?" Sakura snapped.

While Sakura was yelling at Naruto, I looked up and spotted Kakashi hiding in the trees. I quickly drew a couple of shuriken and tossed them right at them. Seeing this, Kakashi quickly moves out the way and avoids them. With his hiding spot revealed, Kakashi had no other choice but to move before we could start bombarding him with our attacks.

"_We have to move now before we lose him again._" I thought to myself and looked over at me two teammates. "Sakura. If you're done _lecturing_ Naruto, we need to move out right now." I told her. "I just caught Kakashi and caused him to run. Now all we need to do is go after him before he can get away… again."

"Fine." Sakura said. "We can continue this later."

"All right then. Now let's get moving." I told them.

"Right." Naruto replied. We all quickly started moving fast through the forest. "_Thanks, Kazumi-chan._" Naruto thought.

"_Heh, no problem._" I replied.

* * *

By using my sense of smell, I was able to track down Kakashi. And from the additional scents I was picking up around the surrounding area, I found that he was hiding out near the lake. As soon as we found him, we started fighting once more. Kunai knives flew everywhere, everyone dodging and throwing more into the direction the last were coming from. Not only that but we were fighting hand to hand combat as well. Sakura tried to hit him with a charged punch but he was able to avoid that attack just like he did before.

"Darn it." Sakura said as she lifted herself off the cracked ground.

"All right then. Shinobi Battle Skill Rule Number Three, Ninjutsu!" Kakashi said. With that, Kakashi jumped back. He quickly started performing hand signs at an unbelievable speed. **"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"** Kakashi stated.

"Scatter!" I yelled. Naruto, Sakura and I all jumped away, just barely avoiding the large fireball.

"Okay, now where is he?" Naruto asks himself. His question was answered when he found himself being grabbed by his ankle. He was soon pulled down, trapped in an earth bound prison. But it wasn't the real Naruto. It was nothing but a shadow clone. As we stood there together, we spotted Kakashi but this time he was standing on top of the water.

"Oh, damn it. Well played Kakashi, but I got you." I said quietly as I started performing a few hand signs of my own.

"**Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"** Kakashi yelled.

"Naruto. Sakura. Mangi Formation, now!" I ordered. They quickly do so, just as I formed the last sign for my next move. **"Hatake Bloodline Trait: White Force Barrier"** I exclaimed and held my hands out before me.

In a matter of seconds, my chakra appeared and started to form a translucent white barrier, shielding me, Naruto and Sakura. Before long, the water from Kakashi's attack came rushing and struck the barrier hard. I concentrated hard on keeping the barrier as steadily as possible as the water continued to pound against it. The water rushed over the top and the sides since it had no way to go straight.

"Wow, that's amazing." Naruto says in admiration. "Heh, nice going, Kazumi-chan."

"Yeah. Good work." Sakura adds.

"Thanks." I told them. "But we're not out of the woods yet."

The water continued to flow for a minute but soon I could easily tell that the flow was becoming slower and weaker. And as soon as the pounding stopped, I cancelled my chakra flow, collapsing the barrier. I knew this battle was going to be interesting but I never knew Kakashi would use all of these attacks.

"Man, Kakashi sensei isn't holding back." Naruto said. "He really is good."

"Exactly. And we shouldn't hold back either. We need to figure out a way to end this battle and fast." I told them. "Okay, let's try this." I said, performing a new series of hand signs. **"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Jutsu!"**

The ground before me started to move and suddenly shots upward. As it did so, the earth started to retake a new shape. Before long, it was in the form of a dragon. I sent my earth dragon forward, aiming right for Kakashi. Seeing this, Kakashi easily avoids my attack by jumping off to the side, allowing it to crash into the lake. However, I had a feeling that Kakashi was going to easily dodge my attack. So I had a small backup plan.

"Now!" I exclaimed as I held up the spar sign.

Suddenly the earth dragon exploded. I had attached and hidden a few paper bombs. When the dragon was taking shape, that's when I planted my little backup plan if Kakashi avoided the earth dragon. The explosion caused the water from the lake to be sent upward. But even though I succeeded, I knew that it wasn't enough to take down Kakashi. Seconds later, I spotted him hovering in the air as the water landed back in the lake. There, I saw that Kakashi had his next attack planned and ready.

"**Water Style: Water Vortex Jutsu!"** we heard Kakashi say.

"Oh no!" Naruto said.

"Damn it." I groaned.

We braced for impact as the rushing water came forward, sweeping all three of us in its current. Once the water calmed and disappeared, we got back to our feet. We lost track of Kakashi, but I had a way of finding him. After wiping the remaining water from our eyes, we jumped into the trees and began moving. We didn't have time to waste, so we needed to hurry and relocate Kakashi before sunrise. After running through the treetops for awhile, we stopped and sat underneath a tree to catch our breaths while we tried to come up with a plan as well.

"Darn it. Earth Style, Fire Style and Water Style, back-to-back." Naruto said. "He just doesn't quit, does he?"

"Nope. That's Kakashi sensei for ya." Sakura replied.

"_I thought for sure I had him with that paper bomb attack._" I thought to myself. "Well… seeing that he's not attacking, he must be resting. Using the Sharingan for long periods of time is definitely wearing him out." I told them.

"Well, in the meantime, we need to think. Does Kakashi sensei have any type of weakness?" Sakura asks. "I mean, he has to. Everyone has to have one, even Kakashi sensei."

"Well of course he does. I mean, he's good but he's not invincible." I told her. "_I have an idea that may work, but I have to figure out just how I can make that work._" I thought to myself as I folded my arms.

While we sat there, we suddenly start hearing snickering. I opened my eyes to find it was coming from Naruto. I gave him a curious look for a second but soon realized what he was snickering about. I just shook my head as I released a small chuckle of my own. Sakura gave us both a look of concern and as she looked back and forth at us.

"Huh…? Uh… Naruto? Kazumi? Are you two okay?" She asked.

"I know of a way of getting those bells. There's no way it can fail." Naruto told her. "And I have a feeling that Kazumi-chan knows too."

"Really? Then what are you waiting for. Tell me." Sakura says.

"Come on Sakura, it should be obvious." I told her. "Just think about it for a second. What is Kakashi sensei's _true_ weakness?" Sakura slowly thought about it for a second. Naruto and I continued to snicker together. "_Come on. You mean she can't figure this simple puzzle out._" I thought. "_And she's supposed to be the smartest one on our team._"

"Kazumi, you're thinking exactly what I'm thinking right?" Naruto asked as he held his hand up for a high five. "I mean, what other weakness can do the job than that one?"

"I know right." I said with a smirk as I slapped his hand.

"Oh come on guys, just tell me." Sakura said. With that, Naruto and I whispered the clue to Sakura. As soon as we do so, reality finally struck her. "Ah, I get it. It's so simple but it's brilliant." She says.

"_And it becomes clear to her once we tell her. Oh brother._" I thought.

"But wait. How are we going to get him with that?" she asks.

"Pervy Sage lent it to me to read it, so I can spoil the ending for him." Naruto explained.

"Wait a second. Did you actually read that damn perverted book, Naruto?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow at him. "I can't believe you would read that smut."

"No, no. I didn't, really. I mean, he lent it to me but it was such a snooze fest that it put me to sleep before I could actually get halfway through the first few pages." He explained.

"Hmpf. Doesn't matter. You still read it." I pointed out as I folded my arms. "All I know is that I better not catch you reading it myself."

"Don't worry, Kazumi-chan. I won't." he says as he scratches the back of his head.

"Wait. Hold on for a second." Sakura says, catching our attention. "But that means you don't know the ending yourself, Naruto?" Sakura pointed out.

"That maybe true, but Kakashi doesn't know that. And like he said, he hadn't finished it himself yet." I explained. "So the plan can still be used to our advantage. We can just make up the ending, Kakashi wouldn't know if it's the truth or not. Well… not until he finishes the book that is."

"I guess you have a point." Sakura told me. "He did say he didn't finish."

"All right, then!" Naruto says as he stands up. "I think it's about time for us to retrieve those bells."

"Right." Sakura and I exclaimed as we return back to our feet as well.

With that, Naruto, Sakura and I started running through the forest again, looking for Kakashi. We had our strategy and now it was time to initiate it. Before long, I caught Kakashi's scent and finally spotted him. He was sitting underneath a tree, catching his breath like we were just minutes ago. Naruto, Sakura and I jumped forward, heading towards Kakashi, as we got our plan underway.

"Hmm, a frontal attack huh? Getting overconfident aren't you?" Kakashi asks.

"Ha! You wish!" I exclaimed.

"Now, Naruto!" Sakura yelled.

"Listen to this, Kakashi sensei! " Naruto yelled. "I know the final plot twist to _Make-Out Tactics_!"

"Uh? What?" Kakashi yells. "No! No!"

"Turns out that the hero turns out to be none other….." Naruto starts.

"Shut up! I don't want to hear." Kakashi tells him as he covers his ears.

And soon he closed his eyes, giving us the opportunity we needed to snag the bells. _Jingle. Jingle._ When Kakashi opened his eyes, he found me, Naruto and Sakura standing right in front of him. We just lifted the bells up while we all sent him small smirks.

"Oh." Kakashi whined.

"Ha! A ninja should see through deception." Naruto tells him.

"Isn't that right, Sensei?" Sakura asks as she sends him a peace sign.

"I deserve that." He says. We all just started laughing. With the test over and done with, we could just relax and be our normal selves. "I never dreamed going down because of this." He says as he holds up his book. The others and I just held our bells in the air. "I should have gone ahead and finished it."

"Why are you even waste your time on that anyway?" Naruto asks. "It's the most boring book ever."

"Huh?" Kakashi asks.

"Yeah. Pervy Sage lent it to me. But it was such a snooze fest that I didn't make pass page ten." Naruto explained.

"What?" Kakashi asks.

"So you know; I couldn't have spoiled it for ya." Naruto said with a big smile. Kakashi just stumbled with his words as he pointed at Naruto. He soon just drops his head in a shameful manner.

"Even though Naruto didn't know the ending, we figured that the mention of _Make-Out Tactics_ would be enough to freeze you in your tracks." Sakura explained. "Pretty good strategy, huh?"

"You know Kakashi… It's kind of ironic that your little _hobby_ is what led you to your own downfall." I told him. "And for us knowing that little weakness of yours gave us the advantage. And of course, it helped us retrieve the bells."

"Yeah, you're right." he agreed.

"You three have definitely demonstrated some growth." A voice said. We all turned around and saw Lady Tsunade approaching us. Behind her, we saw Shizune walking on her right. "Kakashi, is there anything you would like to say?"

"Well, they did a great job getting a hold of those bells." He says.

"Huh? What are you guys talking about?" Naruto asks.

"You see, this whole test was to figure out your future status. In other words, the three of you are a team once more, along with your old sensei, Kakashi. You all were formerly known as Team 7 but now you will be known as Team Kakashi." Tsunade explained.

"Team Kakashi?" Sakura asks.

"That sounds pretty cool." Naruto says. "So what exactly what we will be doing? What's the scoop?"

"It means that we will be going on all of our mission, together." Kakashi answers. "The time of student and sensei are over. We will be peers now."

"Huh?" Naruto and Sakura both exclaimed.

"Hmm, sounds good if you ask me." I said.

"That's the long and the short of it." He says. "The days of sensei and student are past. We're Leaf Shinobi on equal grounds. Got it."

"Oh yeah. One hundred and ten percent." Naruto says.

"We got it, Kakashi-sensei." Added Sakura.

"Hmm, understood." I added.

"Now then. How about we head back now." Lady Tsunade suggested.

"Right." Naruto, Sakura and I exclaimed together.

* * *

**Another chapter finished and posted. Great... Hope you guys enjoy and don't forget to review. But remember, no flamers are welcomed. Thanks!**

**-Kazumi**


	3. Disaster Strikes The Hidden Sand Village

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter Three: Disaster Strikes The Hidden Sand, Onward To Save The Kazekage_

After leaving the training grounds, we all returned to the village. As we proceeded forward, there were many civilians and other ninja walking around, enjoying what the night life had to offer. The sounds of laughter, conversations and other noises filled the atmosphere around us. But it seemed to me that the night was much livelier than usual with Naruto back with us.

"You guys have definitely gotten stronger, that's for sure." Kakashi says. "I never dreamed you guys would snag those bells."

"Well what can I say? Maybe I finally surpass you, sensei." Naruto says.

"Yeah, like that would ever happen." Sakura tells him.

"Yeah well, I'm not over the hill yet." He tells us. "In fact, just the other day, I worked out this unbelievable new Jutsu. Let me tell you, you got to see it to believe it."

"Oh man, I forgot. I haven't had a bowl of ramen from Ichiraku's since I got back." Naruto says, interrupting Kakashi.

"Now that you mention it, I'm starving too. And after completing our challenge, that helped build up an appetite." Sakura adds.

"Say no more! Next stop, Ichiraku Ramen!" Naruto yells and takes off.

Right!" Sakura agrees and quickly takes off as well, leaving Kakashi and I standing there were we stopped.

"They'll never change. Don't you think, Kakashi?" I ask.

"Yeah, you're right about that." he agrees as he nods slightly. "Hey, why don't you go on ahead? I'll catch up in a minute."

"Huh? Are you sure?" I ask with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah. Go on." he says.

"Okay, if you say so." I tell him as I shrug my shoulders a little. "We'll meet you there." I added as I started moving.

"I have missed this ramen so much." Naruto exclaimed happily.

"And guess who's splitting the bill?" Sakura asks.

"Sensei! Sensei!" they both yelled.

* * *

**Normal Point of View:**

As Kazumi walked forward to catch up with Naruto and Sakura, Kakashi remained standing in the same spot he stopped. As he kept his eyes on his book, Jiraiya appears seconds later and walks up from behind, stopping right next to him. Without moving their heads, the two talk to each other.

"As promised, I'm returning Naruto back to your care." Jiraiya told Kakashi, who simply nods his head in understanding. "So tell me. How's it going with Kazumi? I mean with…"

"Well… during our training, there were times where chakra from the Ten Tails appeared around her." Kakashi explained. "However… she was able to retract that power back within her body."

"On her own?" Jiraiya asks, surprised. Kakashi simply nods he's head once more. "Hmm. It seems that she's doing better controlling that power than Naruto. But nonetheless… we have to keep an eye on them both."

"Right." Kakashi agreed.

"Also, I've been doing some research on the seal Orochimaru used on her." Jiraiya explained. "I'm getting close to figuring out the formula. It will take a little more time to complete it, so I'll be sure to keep you updated."

"Understood." Kakashi replies.

"In the meantime, I'm going to go gather more information on the Akatsuki. Well… I'm off." Jiraiya said and soon disappeared in a plume of smoke.

"Hey, Kakashi sensei…!" Sakura yelled out.

"Huh?" Kakashi answered.

"We thought you should know, we decided that you're treating us to ramen!" Naruto yells.

"Now come on, let's go. We're starving!" Sakura adds.

"Sorry you guys. I have to submit a unit review for the new team and send it along for filing." He explains as he holds up a spar sign. "So unfortunately… I'm out." With that, Kakashi disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving his three former students alone in the streets.

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

"Huh? He split." Naruto says.

"Review my eye. He's probably off to finish that book of his." Sakura says. "Cheapskate. Looks like you're paying Naruto. It was idea after all." As Sakura says this, I watched Naruto pull out his wallet and a look of uncertainty appears on his face. I walked over to Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder as I looked down at his wallet.

"You all right there, Naruto?" I ask.

"Oh, it's…its nothing." He says.

"Well, let's head on over to Ichiraku." I told him as I held my thumb over my shoulder, pointing down the street.

"Hey Naruto, I'm going to have to pass." Sakura says and quickly takes off.

"Well there goes Sakura." I say as I watched her walk away. I just folded my arms against my chest and turned back around to look at Naruto. "And knowing her, she's probably skipping out on ramen for some Shiratama Anmitsu."

"Huh? What make you say that?" Naruto asks.

"Because, every time I walk pass by that place, I easily spot Sakura sitting there." I explained as I looked back to find Sakura had disappeared. "I know one thing; she's as crazy about that stuff as you are with ramen."

"Oh. Say, uh Kazumi-chan." Naruto starts.

"Yeah, what's up?" I ask as I turned around to look at him.

"Uh…well… Please don't tell me you have to head off somewhere too." He said, sounding a little disappointed. "I mean… if you have to go then I understand."

"Huh? Why on earth would I leave?" I ask him. "I haven't seen you in almost three years. I do want to hang out and catch up before we start going on missions tomorrow." I told him.

"Huh? Really?" he asks.

"Yeah." I replied as I stood beside him and sat my forearm gently on his shoulder. "To be honest, it's been pretty quiet without you around, Naruto. And I really missed you and just being able to talk."

"Hey, I missed you too." He tells me. "I mean, it was great training with Pervy Sage and all, but it got kind of boring when he was working on his stupid book."

"Yeah, I bet it was." I told him as I chuckled quietly. "All right, then. Let's head on over to Ichiraku. And since it's your homecoming, the first few bowls are on me."

"Thanks, Kazumi-chan." Naruto says happily.

"Hey, don't mention it." I assured him. Naruto and I proceeded forward and entered Ichiraku within minutes.

"Hey Ayame-chan, Teuchi-san." I greeted as we entered.

"Hey! How's it going!?" Naruto said as he stood beside me.

"Hello there." Teuchi greeted. "Huh? Hey Kazumi. Uh, who's that you have with you?"

"Old man." Naruto said. "Come on, don't you remember me?"

"Come on Teuchi-san. Don't tell me you've already forgotten about this guy." I said as I pointed at Naruto. "He is your number one customer after all."

"Naruto?" Teuchi questioned. "As I live and breathe." He said with laughter in his voice. "How could I ever forget that face?"

"Long time no see." Naruto says.

"Hey Kazumi." Ayame greets me. "Naruto! Look how much you've grown." She says happily once she spots Naruto.

"It's sure good to see you guys again." Naruto said as we took out seats.

"Well now. What can I get you two?" Teuchi asks. "You still have you appetite, Naruto?"

"You bet; I'm starving." Naruto quickly says.

"Okay! Then today your food is on the house. Order anything you want." He told Naruto. "And Kazumi, since you've been a loyal customer, same applies to you as well."

"What!? No way!" Naruto and I exclaimed together.

"Hold it. Let me get this one." Said a familiar voice. "I had a hunch that you'll be here, Naruto." Seconds later, Iruka sensei appeared.

"Iruka sensei!" Naruto says happily.

"Hey Naruto, great to see you." he tells Naruto and soon looks over at me. "Hello Kazumi. It's great to see you as well." Iruka said.

"It's great to see you too, Iruka sensei." I replied.

"Hey, where's Sakura?" he asks. "I figured she would be here with you two."

"Heh, she split just like Kakashi sensei." I answered him as I folded my arms. "I have no idea where Nii-san went. But as for Sakura, she's probably out satisfying her sweet tooth."

"But look at it this way. That means more ramen for us." Naruto told me.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I agreed.

* * *

After a nice conversation with Iruka sensei and a few bowls later, Iruka sensei left, leaving me and Naruto still sitting there. After several more bowls, about five for Naruto, we left since we started missions early tomorrow morning. Since our apartments weren't too far from each other, we decided to walk home together.

"So Kazumi-chan. What have you've been up to since I was away?" he asked.

"Heh, I've been training of course." I told him. "Since you went off to train with Master Jiraiya and Sakura left to train under Lady Tsunade, I decided to train under Kakashi. I wanted to learn about tracking while out on the field, so I started studying more on the subject."

"You wanted to be a tracker ninja or something?" Naruto asked with a questioning look on his face.

"Well, I guess you can say that. Yes." I answered with a nod. "I wanted to be able to track down the enemy before they could attack. But it's not just about tracking the enemy. I've also been working hard on my own skills as a field ninja, especially on my Kenjutsu. So not only will I be able to sense the enemy, I'll be able to fight as well."

"Huh? What is, Kenjutsu?" Naruto asks.

"Kenjutsu is mainly sword techniques." I answer. "In other words, it pertains to techniques that entail the use of swords. Take my katana for example." I added as I pointed to the weapon on my back.

"So when you attacked Kakashi sensei. That was a Kenjutsu?" Naruto asked.

"Yep, you got it." I said with a nod. "That was a Kenjutsu technique combined with the use of my chakra flow."

"Okay, but here's my next question. Why exactly was your chakra white?" He asked. "I always thought chakra was blue. Wait! You were using Kiyiya's chakra, weren't you!?"

"No, not at all. That was my own personal chakra." I said with a smirk.

"Huh? Your chakra is white!? How!?" He asks.

"Uh, well. How about we save that explanation for tomorrow?" I asked him as I scratched my head sheepishly. "Something tells me I'm going to have to give you a very detailed explanation."

"Aw, come on, Kazumi- chan. Just tell me! Please!?" He asks in a begging tone.

"Okay, okay. I have white chakra because it's my clan's Kekkei Genkai." I told him.

"Huh? Kekkei Genkai?" He asked in a confusing tone.

"And there, my dear friend, is where we will stop and continue tomorrow." I told him as I started back walking.

"Aw, come on, Kazumi-chan. We still have time." Naruto says as he rushes to catch up with me. "Come on, I want to know."

"Alright. To put it simply without giving you the full explanation, it's a bloodline trait. Meaning that only those of that bloodline can obtain the technique. It cannot be taught. Get it?" I asked as I looked at him with half open eyelids. "Only Kakashi and I can perform techniques with the use of our white chakra."

"But hold on a minute. Come to think of it, I've never seen Kakashi sensei use any techniques like that." Naruto pointed out. "How come?"

"Hmm, I honestly don't know." I answered. "I often wonder the same. But I decided to leave it alone. Sometimes I think that he probably doesn't have as nearly as much as I do. On more than one occasion, I have heard him tell me that my white chakra was much more potent than his."

"I wonder why that is." Naruto says. I just shrug my shoulders as I lifted my hands halfway into the air.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Naruto. Genetics is a funny thing." I tell him.

"Yeah, you got that right." He agrees. "I get confused just hearing the word." I couldn't help but chuckle at his comment.

"But you know. Even after going through those tough sessions, I honestly don't think I'm strong enough." I tell him.

"Huh? You really think you're not strong enough?" he asks.

"Yeah, I mean I've improved my chakra control and can manipulate it in several ways. I even learned more Jutsu with my earth, wind and lightning elements." I explained. "My Taijutsu and Kenjutsu have definitely gotten better, but I really feel that it isn't enough."

"Ah, come on, Kazumi-chan. You're one of the strongest people I know." Naruto tells me. "I mean… look at what you did back there while we were fighting Kakashi sensei. You have definitely gotten stronger. I have a feeling that you may still be stronger than me."

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm much stronger than you, Naruto. After all, we're both strong in our own right. Wouldn't you agree?" I asked him.

"Yeah, you're right." Naruto agreed.

"So… What about you? How did your training go with Master Jiraiya?" I ask. "I can tell that you have improved your skills quite a bit."

"Trust me when I say that Pervy Sage wasn't a pushover." Naruto told me. "He trained me to my limits too. And get this; his training was so intense that I actually had to get new clothes." He says as he gestures to his new attire.

"Yeah, you told Iruka sensei that back at Ichiraku." I reminded him. "And that explains why you aren't in your normal orange and blue attire anymore." I told him. "Well if this means anything, I kind of like this uniform a little better than the old one."

"Thanks, Kazumi-chan." He said. "I like your outfit too."

"Thanks. And don't mention it." I assured him. Before long, we made it to my and Kakashi's apartment. "Well, this is my stop. I'll see you first thing, right?"

"You got it, Kazumi-chan." Naruto says as he sends me a thumbs up. I couldn't help but to smile back. As we continue to stand there, I suddenly lunged out and wrapped my arms around Naruto. I pulled him closer, giving him one more hug.

"I know I've already told you this, but… It's great to have you back, Naruto." I told him.

"Heh, great to be back, Kazumi-chan." Naruto told me as he returned the hug. After a minute, we separated. "Good night, Kazumi."

"Good night, Naruto." I said.

I soon entered and waved goodbye as I closed the door. A small smile graced my face as I stood there. After a minute, I jumped out of my shoes and proceeded to my room. Once I was upstairs, I spotted a light shining under my brother's door. I remembered seeing the light shining through the window and figured he was working on those team reports, or at least that what he said he was doing. However, I had a feeling that he was reading that damn book of his. And honestly, I wouldn't put it pass him.

I quietly knocked on the door, "Kakashi… put that stupid book away and go to bed." I told him with a little annoyance in my voice. "You know we have a mission tomorrow and we have to get up early."

"I'm working on the new team reviews." He replied.

"I'm working on the new team reviews." I scoffed quietly to myself. "You are such a liar." I told him. No response. "Oh brother… Good night."

There was a pause before I heard him call back, "…Good night." I just shook my head and proceeded forward. That was my answer right there. He was definitely reading that damn book. I really wanted to kick his door in and scare the hell out of him, but I decided not to. So instead, I entered my room, closed my door and got ready for bed. Who knows what kind of mission we'll receive tomorrow.

"_**Hmm. You seem in very high spirits, pup. No doubt you're glad that Naruto is back." Kiyiya told me as I laid in my bed, staring up at the ceiling.**_

"_Yeah, I am._" I replied. "_And I still can't believe Lady Tsunade is letting us complete missions together again. To be honest, I'm glad she did. It would be just like the old days._"

"_**Except… Sasuke Uchiha isn't with us." Kiyiya pointed out.**_

"_Yeah, unfortunately you're right._" I agreed. "_I just don't understand why he would do such a thing. How could he abandon his friends, his home and join up with that damn snake, Orochimaru. That's just ticks me off even more._"

"_**Well… There's no need for you to get your blood boiling right now." Kiyiya said. "Just calm down and we'll deal with it when the time comes."**_

"_I guess you have a point._" I agreed. "_I need to get all the sleep I can get. Who knows what our first mission will be. Heh… and knowing Naruto he'll be complaining about it._"

"_**You may be right about that." She tells me with a soft chuckle in her voice. "Sleep tight, pup. Tomorrow will be here before you know it."**_

"_Hmm, yeah. Night, Kiyiya._" I replied. I slowly started drifting off to sleep, allowing the darkness to take over.

* * *

**The following morning:**

After getting up, I changed my clothes and got ready for the day. After brushing out my hair and tying it into a low ponytail, I tied my headband on my forehead and ran out my room. I quickly stopped at Kakashi's door and knocked, only to get no response. I quietly cracked opened the door and peeped inside. However, I found the room empty. Kakashi was nowhere in sight.

"Hmm? I guess he already left." I said quietly to myself. "But I know he'll be late. Just watch."

I closed his door back, ran downstairs and entered the kitchen. I quickly grabbed three apples off the kitchen table and ran to the door. I quickly put on my shoes and exited the apartment. I made sure I locked up and proceeded to the rendezvous point where we were supposed to meet up. Once I made it in area, I turned down the next street and found Sakura and Naruto waiting up ahead. As I moved towards them, they both looked directly at me.

"Hey! Good morning, Kazumi-chan!" Naruto yelled.

"Geez, Naruto. Could you be any louder?" Sakura asked sarcastically.

"Morning Naruto. Morning Sakura." I greeted once I got close. "Just like I thought. Kakashi isn't here yet I see."

"Nope. Knowing him, he'll be late like always." Sakura stated.

We waited for about thirty minutes or so for Kakashi. Just as we were reaching our breaking point, Kakashi finally appeared. Even though he may look like he was uninterested, I could tell that he look exhausted. No doubt that he probably stayed up all night. And I had a feeling that it had absolutely nothing to do with the team reports.

"There you are! You're late!" Naruto told him.

"Finally, sensei." Sakura added.

"Geez, about time you showed up." I said with a sigh.

"Yeah, uh, sorry about that." Kakashi tells us as he places a hand behind his head. "It took me a lot longer than I thought to finalize the team lists."

"_Lair. I know damn well that he stayed up all night reading that damn book. He's so predictable._" I thought to myself.

"Hello!? This is our first new mission as a new team!" Naruto reminded him. "Could you be just a little excited? Kakashi sensei, you haven't changed a bit, haven't you?"

"Already you're annoying." Sakura stated as she covered her ears with her hands. "Shut up! Don't waste your breath. You know he's always looked unenthusiastic, like he doesn't care."

"_Hmm. I don't seem to inspiring a lot of respect here._" Kakashi thought to himself. He soon looks up into the sky and sees a bird flying overhead. "_That looks like one of the Hidden Sand's carriers._"

"Okay. Since everyone's here now, we can head towards Hokage Tower." I told them. "The sooner we get there, the sooner we can get our mission."

"All right! I can't wait!" Naruto exclaims happily. "Taking on missions as Team Kakashi. This is gonna be great! Let's go!"

* * *

After the little confrontation, we soon headed towards the Hokage Tower. I could tell that Naruto was excited about having a mission. Especially since he's been gone training the entire time. Same with Sakura. She's been training with Lady Tsunade that she was rarely sent on missions. Me on the other hand, I was training and working on my tracking skills. And on some occasions, I would accompany Kakashi on a few missions. We were already inside the tower, heading towards Lady Tsunade's office.

"Oh man. It would feel so good to be on a real mission again." Naruto said.

"Listen, whatever kind of mission we're given, just take it and don't complain." Sakura told him.

"Heh, don't sweat it, Sakura. Those days are over." Naruto assured her.

"I hope so." Kakashi replied.

"We'll have to wait and see if that's true or not." I added. As we moved forward, we heard footsteps hastily approaching us.

"Out of the way! Out of the way!" A woman yelled as she ran right towards us, causing us all to jump away from each other to open a path for her.

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

"Why don't you watch where you going!?" Naruto yelled at the woman, who just kept on moving ahead. "Who do you think you are!?"

"Take it easy, Naruto. That woman is probably long gone and can't even hear you." I told him as I grabbed a hold of his arm and started pulling him with me.

"_They called in the Cipher Corp, huh?_" Kakashi thought himself. "_Then it's true… The carrier bird I saw earlier…_" we started moving again and before long, we were standing before Lady Tsunade, Shizune and Iruka Sensei.

"Huh!? Escort duty on a caravan? Come on!" Naruto exclaimed in a loud tone as he began complaining about the mission.

"What!? Have you got a problem with that?" Tsunade asks him.

"Since you're asking… yes!" Naruto replied. "Lousy C-rank mission. It's beneath my dignity."

"_Naruto… please don't start._" I thought to myself.

"_Here we go. What did I just tell him?_" Sakura thought to herself.

"_Calm down, Naruto. Because I'm the one who's going to have to take the heat if you don't._" Kakashi thought to himself.

"_Just what I expected. Nothing has changed._" Lady Tsunade thought. And soon glanced over at a smiling Shizune.

"_Okay, okay, you're right._" Shizune thought as she chuckled to herself inside her own mind.

"Naruto… your skills may have improved but mentally you haven't matured at all." Iruka sensei sighed.

"Naruto… I've chosen an easier mission to start with to break you in." Tsunade explained. "You've been gone from us for awhile."

"Well who says I want an easier mission?" Naruto yells. I quickly caught a hold of Naruto and placed him in a headlock. But I made sure I wasn't hurting him.

"Naruto, chill out, would ya." I whispered to him. "You have no idea what Lady Tsunade can do to us if you don't. So just take the mission. I'm sure she'll give us a higher one afterwards."

"Okay, okay." He told me. "Can you please let me go?"

"If she lets you go and you start complaining again, I'll deal with you." Sakura told him. "You got that?"

"No, no! That's all right. I rather have Kazumi-chan holding me in a headlock than you." Naruto quickly told the pink haired Kunoichi.

"The details of your mission are right here." Lady Tsunade continued.

"Right." Kakashi says as he walks forward. I soon released my hold of Naruto and allowed him to stand up.

"Hmpf. I miss the Third Hokage." Naruto mumbled. "That old man was smart. He knew what he was doing."

"Huh!? What did you say!?" Lady Tsunade growled. Sakura suddenly grabs Naruto and really applies a chokehold around the his neck.

"Just shut up, will ya!" Sakura yelled.

"Sakura… That doesn't look like a normal headlock. I think you're choking him instead." I pointed out. Suddenly the door opened and the woman from before runs inside.

"Lady Tsunade!" she yelled. "Terrible news!"

"Now what is it?" Lady Tsunade asks.

"An emergency dispatch." She explains. "From the Sand." Hearing this, this caught all of our attentions in an instant.

"Where is this dispatch?" Lady Tsunade asks.

"I deciphered it as quickly as I could." The woman says as she hands Lady Tsunade a sheet of paper. We just stood there quietly when suddenly we saw Lady Tsunade's eyes widen in shock.

"What the…?" she breathed out.

"It can't be…" Iruka sensei gasped.

"No way." Added Shizune.

"What… what is it?" Naruto asks. "What's happened?"

"It's the Kazekage of the Sand." Lady Tsunade tells us. "It seems he's been taken prisoner by the Akatsuki." After hearing this, everyone one of us had shocked looks on our faces.

"You mean, Gaara." Naruto asked quietly. "So they're back again."

"_So… they have started moving in on gathering the Tailed Beasts again._" I thought to myself. "_They struck the Hidden Sand, which is the neighboring country of the Leaf. They could come after us next._"

Naruto and I just glanced at each other. The two of us shared the exact same look. We couldn't believe what we were hearing. The Akatsuki went after Gaara for his Tailed Beast, the One-Tail known as Shukaku. And we knew that soon they would be coming after us as well. But right now, the main subject on our minds was Gaara. He needed our help and fast.

"We've been studying them. We know more about the Akatsuki than any other village." Lady Tsunade explains. "Therefore the Sand Village has officially requested our help."

"You're not suggesting that Team Kakashi…" Shizune started.

"This is urgent." Lady Tsunade told her. "I haven't time to form another team. And besides, we have someone here who's actually fought the Akatsuki."

"Yes, but even so…" Shizune tried to say.

"All right. Team Kakashi, I'm assigning you a new mission." Lady Tsunade told us. "You are to head to the Hidden Sand, find out what's going on and keep us informed. You are to remain there and follow their orders. Give them any backup they need."

"Right, understood." Sakura, Naruto and I said together.

* * *

After leaving Lady Tsunade's office, we quickly separated and headed home to pack up for our long journey towards the Hidden Sand. Once I finished, I quickly headed out and proceeded towards the main gates.

"_This is bad. No, this is far worse._" I thought to Kiyiya. "_The Akatsuki has already captured the Five Tails and the Seven Tails. And soon enough they'll have the One Tail._"

"_**Pup, don't worry yourself." Kiyiya tells me. "As of right now, nothing is happening. Gaara and Shukaku are alright, for now. They are still together."**_

"_Yeah, but that won't last for long._" I thought back. "_These damn Akatsuki are getting on my last nerve. I wish it would be simple to just eliminate them all at once._"

"_**Yeah, but sadly that's not the case." Kiyiya says. "But don't worry; we'll get through this together. They won't stop us."**_

"_You got that right._" I agreed.

* * *

**Just outside the village gates:**

Within minutes, Sakura, Kakashi, Naruto and I gathered together and stood just outside of the main gates. Lady Tsunade and Iruka Sensei were standing in the opening of the gates as they looked towards us.

"All right. Let's get moving." Naruto said.

"Be back soon, M' Lady. We won't let you down." Sakura said as she saluted.

"Good." Lady Tsunade said.

"Naruto, good luck." Iruka told him.

"Thanks." Naruto replied. We soon turned around and began moving but stopped when someone appeared before us.

"Hey!" Jiraiya yelled as he landed. "So? Off on a mission, Naruto?"

"That's right." Naruto quickly answered, giving him a salute as well."

"Well then, good for you. But more importantly…" Jiraiya said as he headed towards Lady Tsunade. "I've got some disturbing news. The Sand's Kazekage…"

"Yes, I know." Tsunade interrupted. "I'm dispatching a squad. They were about to leave." She said as she pointed towards us.

"Mm-Hmm." Naruto replied. We just stood there watching as Jiraiya whispered something to Tsunade. Seconds later, we saw her whispering something back.

"Naruto, I want a word with you." Jiraiya said as he walked back towards us. Naruto walked off to the side to talk to his master. After talking for a few seconds, Jiraiya walked over to Kakashi. Meanwhile, I was standing beside Naruto, both of us ready to head out.

* * *

**Normal Point of View:**

"Watch out for Naruto." Jiraiya whispered to Kakashi, making sure that Naruto or the others didn't hear him. "And that goes for Kazumi as well."

"Right." Kakashi replied.

"And if at any time the cloak starts to appear, use the seal." Jiraiya explains; reminding him of the paper seal he had given him earlier. "It will stop the transformation instantly."

"Understood." Kakashi told him.

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

"Kakashi sensei! Sakura! What are we waiting for! Let's go!" Naruto said.

"Okay, okay. Coming!" Sakura yelled as she caught up with us.

"We're off!" Kakashi yelled and began moving. Once out far enough, Naruto jumped into the air and the rest of us followed suit. While we jumped through the treetops, Naruto was in the lead while me, Sakura and Kakashi remained in formation. Luckily he was just a foot or two ahead.

"Naruto... I know you're in a hurry, we all are. But you really need to stop breaking formation." Sakura told him.

"I know, but…" he growled.

"Don't lose your cool. Master Jiraiya taught you better than that, didn't he?" Kakashi told him. While Kakashi was trying to calm Naruto down, Sakura and I looked through an opening between the trees and spotted the small dirt trail. There, we saw Temari walking along.

"Hey! Temari!" Sakura yelled. We all moved and landed right behind her. Once she turned around, I could feel an uneasiness looming off her.

"Is something wrong? Did something happen?" She asked.

"It's not easy to say, but I'll just come out and say it." I told her. "We received a request for help from the Land of Wind, regarding the Kazekage, Gaara. The Akatsuki were able to infiltrate the village."

"Gaara?! You mean he's been…?" she started. Kakashi and I simply nodded our heads to reply to her unfinished question.

"We're two and a half days out from the Sand." Kakashi reminded us. "We should hurry."

"Right." Temari says, agreeing. We all jumped back into the treetops and continue making our way to the Hidden Sand Village. As we continued, nightfall was soon upon us but we were still moving.

"Seriously Naruto, you need to quit it." Sakura said. "Stop getting ahead of us."

"I can't take this anymore!" Naruto growled. "I know why they're after Gaara…, me…, Kazumi. It's not like it's a mystery or anything. You know too. Don't you, Sakura? There's no point in hiding it."

"Wait. They're after Kazumi too?" Sakura asked as she looked at me. "Why?"

I just glanced her way and meet her gaze, "Because… I'm just like Gaara and Naruto. That's why." I answered.

"Huh? What do you mean?" she asks. "And how is it that you're the same as Naruto and Gaara? I don't get it."

"Just like me and Gaara, Kazumi-chan has a demon sealed inside her as well." Naruto told her.

"What!?" She gasped. I just turned my head and kept looking straight ahead.

"I may not have had the same childhood as Naruto or Gaara, but I know how they both feel about being hunted down like animals." I added as I look forward, keeping myself from making eye contact with her. "I made Naruto's life somewhat easier when we became friends. Even though I'm keeping myself calm, I'm just as determined as Naruto to get there as fast as we can, so we can save Gaara."

"_Kazumi...Hatake…. Naruto…Uzumaki…. Thank you._" Temari thought.

* * *

**The following day:**

"Naruto. Kazumi." Sakura says as she caught up with us. "Tell me, you've met him, haven't you? Itachi Uchiha. And now, he's after you guys... I haven't been doing nothing but training you know. I snuck out as much as possible."

"He's the one… Sasuke left because he wanted to kill him… Itachi Uchiha, his older brother." I told her. "He tried fighting him but lost dreadfully. That's why he was unconscious before Naruto brought Lady Tsunade to the village to heal him and Kakashi."

"Huh? You mean you knew this whole time?" she asked.

"Well, no, not at the beginning. I only found out when Sasuke came to me when he was looking for Naruto." I explained. "When we found Naruto, we also encountered Itachi and his partner Kisame Hoshigaki. That's when Sasuke tried to kill him. During that time, that's when I found out about the Akatsuki and the fact that they were after us. Naruto and I were lucky that Master Jiraiya came to help us before they could do anything else."

"That's the reason he left with Orochimaru. He saw him as a way to gain power. Power in which he could use to destroy and kill his brother, Itachi." Sakura says. I just nodded my head once. "But all that damn snake wants is Sasuke's body. And we only have six months to stop him."

"_Sakura knows about that too._" Naruto thought to himself.

"Exactly." I replied. "However… Sasuke isn't the only person that damn snake wants to get his slimy hands on_._" I mumbled quietly to myself. Surprisingly, Sakura heard.

"Huh? Who else does that damn snake want?" Sakura asked.

I narrowed my eyes while I kept my attention forward. I didn't even bother to answer her question. So I just remained silent as I clenched my teeth tightly. A low feral growl escaped my throat as well. I sent more chakra into the base of my feet and pushed myself a few inches ahead of her and Naruto.

"_**Don't worry, pup. I won't let that bastard get to you." Kiyiya assured me.**_

"I know, Kiyiya. I know you won't." I thought. "_And I won't let that bastard or the Akatsuki get their hands on you either._"


	4. Arrive At the Hidden Sand

**Hiya everyone. Here I am with the next chapter. I was planning on posting this earlier but time just got away from me. But here it is. I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible.**

**Thanks, Kazumi.**

* * *

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter Four: Arrive At the Hidden Sand. Mission, Tracking Down The Akatsuki_

**Inside the forest, Kazumi's Point of View:**

Temari and Sakura were sitting on the ground, leaning against the trees as they rested with Kakashi sitting there with them. Meanwhile, Naruto and I were standing on a tree branch high above them. We were just staring out towards the horizon as the sun slowly began to rise behind us. The only thing we could think about at the moment was hurrying to the Hidden Sand and saving our friend, Gaara.

"_Why…? Why does it have to be Gaara?_" Naruto thought to me. "_It's always him. So now it's up to us to save him._"

"_Yeah. You're right, Naruto._" I thought back to him. "_But we'll make sure that Gaara will never be alone. He has us and he'll always will. Not just as comrades but as friends as well._"

"_Right. We can't let him down._" He tells me. I just continued to look forward, remembering what I had told Gaara after our fight with Kimimaro.

* * *

_Flashback…._

"_Kazumi Hatake." Gaara suddenly said._

"_Hmm?" I answered as I looked at him._

"_I, I want to apologize for what I did. Back during the Chūnin Exams." Gaara explained. "I…"_

"_There's no need for that." I quickly said. "After all, it was Shukaku's fault, not yours. Besides, you, me and Naruto…. We're not so different."_

"_Huh? What do you mean?" Gaara asks._

"_I'm sure that Naruto already explained to you that he's the container for the Kyuubi, right?" I asked. "And we both know that you're the container for the Ichibi."_

"_Yes, what about it?" he asks._

"_Well, only a few people know about this. But I feel that I can trust you as well, so I'm going to tell you." I started as I saw a curious look on Gaara's face. "Naruto already knows, but in truth, I'm a container as well."_

"_You….you are?" he asks._

"_Yes. I'm the container of the Juubi." I told him. "I have the Ten-Tailed Wolf inside me. But even if I wasn't treated as bad as you and Naruto were, I still lived in fear. I always wondered what would happen if people knew that I held the most powerful beast of them all. But since I knew Naruto had a beast inside him, I easily became friends with him. And I hope that I can be friends with you as well."_

"_Really?" he asks._

"_Yes. After all….we are siblings in a sense. Siblings of Tailed Beasts that is." I told him._

"_Hmm. Naruto Uzumaki and Kazumi Hatake. They are containers of the beasts just like I am. They know how it is. Sort of." Gaara thought. "Kazumi Hatake…."_

"_Yes." I answered._

"_We…..we can be friends, siblings." He says._

"_Heh, good to hear, Gaara." I said. "That's great to hear."_

_End of flashback…_

* * *

**Normal Point of View:**

"_Gaara._" Kazumi thought.

"All right. Break time is over." Kakashi announced as he got back to his feet. In no time at all, Temari and Sakura snapped themselves awake.

"Hmm? Hey. Kakashi sensei, where's Naruto and Kazumi?" Sakura asked as she looked around for her two teammates.

"They're right up there." Kakashi says as he points at the tree branch high above them.

* * *

**Kazumi's Pont of View:**

"_Just one more day until we reach the Sand Village. But we have to hurry. There's no telling how much time we have left._" Naruto thought to me.

"_Then we need to move as fast as we possibly can. We don't need to waste any more time._" I replied sternly.

**…Few hours later, Desert outskirts:**

"All right, we finally reached the desert." Naruto said.

"The Village Hidden in the Sand is just up ahead." Temari assured us. "It's best if I take the lead from here on out."

"Lead on." Kakashi told her. While I stood there, a very uneasy feeling suddenly appeared, catching my attention.

"_Kiyiya. Do you sense something strange?_" I thought.

"_**Yeah, unfortunately I do." She replied. "I fear that it might be Shukaku. I have a feeling that something bad is happening."**_

"All right, let's go!" I heard Naruto yell.

That quickly snapped me out of my thoughts and I started following him. We moved on, following Temari. But we soon had to stop and take shelter in a nearby cave when a sandstorm suddenly blew in. Naruto sat at the cave entrance with Kakashi sitting close behind him. Temari and Sakura were sitting together as they leaned against the wall. I sat next to Sakura and was sitting Indian Style as I meditated.

"_Kiyiya. That feeling I sensed earlier. Could it be the work of the Akatsuki?_" I asked her mentally. "_Are they… I mean… could they have already…?_"

"_**I'm not sure, pup. But I do know that since they have the One-Tailed Beast, they will eventually extract the beast from its host." Kiyiya explained. "But even though we know this, we don't know when it will be completed or how it will be done."**_

"_This is becoming very frustrating._" I thought as I released a held breath. "_I know Naruto and Temari are both worried, as are the rest of us. But it's not helping me since I'm the one who is actually sensing things."_

"_**Well… you're doing a very good job staying calm under the pressure." She said.**_

"_I have no choice. If I told Naruto, it would just make him even more impatient._" I thought. "_And right now, we need to try to keep him as cool and collected as we possibly can._"

"_**Yes, I see. You're absolutely right." she agreed. "Because knowing Naruto, he would rush in first without thinking things through."**_

"_Right._" I agreed. "_And if Naruto just knew how to control himself more, he'll be fine. I mean, I've gotten better with my own habit with losing my cool. Plus, I can just about remain calm in almost every situation I'm faced with. But however, I'm still working on that._"

"We've got this close to our target and we're just sitting here." Naruto growled. "I can't stand this waiting." He growled once more and was about to move but Kakashi stopped him.

"Naruto, for the last time, relax." He told him. "There's nothing we can do."

"I know, but…" Naruto started.

"Just be patient. Would you look at Temari, she's the one worried the most." Sakura told him.

"The cardinal rule of traveling in the desert. If you hit a sandstorm, you stay put." Temari explains to Naruto. "You lose all your sense of direction in a storm like that. I've heard of many people getting lost in the desert and dying of thirst. Don't worry. The sandstorms we get this time of year don't really last long."

"Well… I just hope you're right." Naruto said.

I just sighed quietly, "_See what I mean._" I told Kiyiya.

"_**Yeah, I see." She replies.**_

"_Look. I want to try something._" I told her. "_Let's see if we can try to contact Gaara. It may not be as strong as my connection with Naruto, but it's worth a shot._"

"_**Okay. Let's try." Kiyiya tells me.**_

"_All right then._" I said.

* * *

**Inner psyche, Kazumi's Point of View:**

"_Gaara…? Gaara, can you hear me?_" I asked as I tried to create the link. "_Come on, Gaara. Please answer me. Lord Kazekage, can you hear me?_"

"_What..? Kazumi Hatake?_" I heard Gaara say. I turn around and find him standing there. "_What are you…?_"

"_It's because of our Tailed Beasts._" I said, answering his unfinished question. "_As long as I know the host of the Tailed Beast, I can create a mental link. I'm just glad that it worked._"

"_Hmm. I see._" He says.

"_Gaara, we heard what happened._" I told him. "_We heard about the Akatsuki attacking you and the Hidden Sand._"

"_Yes. The one who attacked was wearing the black cloak with red clouds, the clothing of the Akatsuki. He has long blonde hair, with a long piece covering his left eye, which hides a small camera._" Gaara explained. "_I was able to fend him off as long as I could but he was able to defeat me. I have no idea where I am now._"

"_Don't worry, Gaara. We're going to find you. That's a promise._" I assured him. "_And we will make sure that those damn Akatsuki members pay for what they've done._"

"_I know without a doubt that you will._" he says.

"_Gaara, is there anything else you can tell me that would aid us?_" I asked. "_Like his fighting style, his abilities, weaknesses… anything like that at all?_"

"_He's a long range fighter. He uses this explosive clay to fight._" Gaara explained. "_Be aware of that. His explosive clay is nothing to wave off._"

"_Right, we'll approach him with caution._" I assured him.

"_**Oh great, just what we need, company. Why the hell is that Gaki **_(A/N Gaki means brat)_** doing in here anyway?" cried out an annoying voice. "No, scratched that. How the hell is that Gaki here anyway?"**_

I just sighed in response, "_Nice to see you again too, Shukaku._" I told the One Tail. "_Still an impudent beast I see. You haven't changed a bit since the first time we met._"

"_**Why you stupid little…! Get the hell out of here!" he snapped with a growl.**_

"_**Don't talk to my partner that way, Shukaku." Kiyiya snapped. "I see that you still believe you're above everyone else. You're worst then Kurama."**_

"_**Kiyiya…!? Why you…" he started. "You and your damn Gaki get the hell out of here! Get lost!"**_

"_**She didn't come here to talk to you anyway." Kiyiya snapped back. "So just shut up and let them talk."**_

"_Don't worry, Gaara. We're moving as fast as we can._" I told him. "_We'll rescue you, even if it costs us our own lives._"

"_I will warn you once more, Kazumi Hatake._" Gaara says. "_This Akatsuki member, he shouldn't be taken lightly. Understand? Do not let your guard down._"

"_I understand completely, Lord Kazekage. We won't fail you._" I added in a confident tone.

* * *

**Back within her own subconscious:**

"_Well, he's okay, from what I can tell._" I say to Kiyiya as I reopen my eyes. "_I just hope we get to him in time._"

"_**If you are to save him, you'll have to hurry." Kiyiya tells me. "If they succeed in extracting Shukaku from him, it will kill him."**_

"_It was never an option to begin with. It's our main priority._" I told her.

"_**Tell me. Are you going to tell Naruto about this?" she asks.**_

"_No, I can't._" I told her. "_It will only cause him to become even more impatient. We don't need him to be even more so. I'll keep it to myself for the time being. I'll tell Kakashi once we arrive at the village._"

"_**I understand." She tells me. "Let's just hope Shukaku gives them a fight. And knowing him, I think he will."**_

"_I hope you're right, Kiyiya._" I told her. "_I'll have to make sure not to give them the idea that something is up too._" I thought to myself.

* * *

**Back in reality, Kazumi's Point of View:**

"Hmm? Kazumi... You've been pretty quiet for the remainder of the trip. Is everything all right?" Sakura asked but I didn't hear her. "Hey, Kazumi? Did you hear me?" she asks as she placed a hand on my shoulder, which snaps me back to reality.

"Huh? What?" I replied as I looked back at her. "Sakura? What is it?"

"Huh? You were spaced out?" She asks as she gives me a somewhat concerned look. "That's not like you. Are you all right?"

"Oh, sorry about that. I figured I would use the time to meditate." I told her as I awkwardly scratched the back of my head. "I had to do something to stay calm and to help pass the time as well."

"Yeah, I suppose you have a point." She says. "Sorry for bothering you."

"There's no need to apologize." I assured her. "I was just about to snap out of it anyway. So no harm done."

"_**That was pretty close, pup. She nearly caught you." Kiyiya thought.**_

"_I know. At least I was able to talk to Gaara before she did try to get my attention._" I thought back. "_But if she, or any of the others for the matter, would have done so while I was talking to him, I would have been caught._"

"All right, if you're sure." Sakura says.

"Yeah, I'm positive. So don't worry, everything's okay." I told her. She just nods her head in understanding.

While I sat there looking at Sakura, I was unaware that Kakashi was paying close attention and took notice of my somewhat uneasy demeanor. A few minutes later, the sandstorm ended and we resume our journey to the Hidden Sand. We made it to the entrance where two Sand Nin waited. We wasted no time following them into the village. As we did, we learned that the Akatsuki had also attacked Kankuro.

"What! You say they got Kankuro as well?" Temari asked.

"Yes. When the enemy took Lord Kazekage, Kankuro went after them by himself." The Sand Nin explained. "He was poisoned. And we haven't been able to find anything to counteract it. He won't last must longer."

"Damn it!" Temari snapped.

"Don't give up yet, Temari." Sakura told her. "Let me take a look at him."

* * *

"Kankuro!" Temari yells as we entered the room they were holding Kankuro. Just before Naruto, Kakashi and I could enter farther into the large room, an old woman suddenly attacks, aiming right for Kakashi.

"Damn you!" she yelled as she ran towards us. "Get ready to defend yourself or die!" But before she could do anything, Naruto jumped ahead and stopped her.

"What do you think you're doing attacking Kakashi sensei like that?" Naruto growled. "You wrinkly old prune."

"I haven't forgotten what you did." She said. "I've waited for this day, White Fang of the Leaf. The day I reap vengeance on you for what you did to my son."

"_Huh? Just who the hell is this old woman?_" I thought to myself. "Um… Nii-sama? Do you know this old woman or something?" I asked him as I pointed at the elderly woman.

"No, I don't." he whispered to me and soon directed his attention forward. "Hey look. You have it all wrong. You see, I'm not…" Kakashi tried to tell her.

"That's enough talk!" she interrupted. But before she could run forward again, an older gentleman stepped before her and held his hand out.

"Take a closer look at the man, sis." The man said. It's true that there's a resemblance, but this one is not the White Fang."

"Hello." Kakashi told her as he held up one hand.

"Really…? You did not just say hello to her?" I asked Kakashi quietly as I gave him a disapproving look. "She tried to kill you for crying out loud!"

"Besides, as you know, the White Fang of the Leaf died long ago." He continued. "Remember? When you heard the news, you wept frustration because that meant you would never have your vengeance. Isn't that so, sis?"

"Revenge?" I ask. "_She made all this noise because she wanted revenge against my father? Yeah, I definitely don't trust this woman. Not one bit._" I thought.

"Oh well, never mind." She said and suddenly started laughing hysterically.

"_What the heck!? This old woman attacks my brother because he looks like dad. And now she's just standing there laughing._" I thought while I sweat-dropped. "What the hell are you laughing at? That's not funny!" I yelled in an annoyed tone. The laughing quickly stopped when Kankuro's screams started.

"Here! Let me take a look at him." Sakura says as she runs over, pulling her hair into a ponytail. "Listen, it might help if you all cleared out of here and give us some room."

"You got it, Sakura." Naruto said as we left. We all just sat quietly in the hallway while Sakura worked on Kankuro. Well, I was standing beside Kakashi, leaning against the wall.

"Hey, Kakashi sensei." Naruto said quietly.

"Hmm?" he answered.

"Who the heck is this White Fang of the Leaf guy that made this old lady so angry?" he asked as he pointed at the old woman. "Got any idea?"

"Huh?" I heard the old woman say. It was obvious to see that she was curious about Naruto's question as well.

"Uh, hmm, let me see. How to put it." He said as he closed his book, looking up at the ceiling. "He was, well in a word, he was my father."

"Heh?" Naruto replied.

"You there… You're the son of the White Fang?" the old woman asked, surprised apparently. She soon turned her attention onto me, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "And you, the girl. Who are you…?"

"_Hmpf, that's very rude. I have a name._" I growled to myself. "I'm his sister." I told her with an annoyed look as I pointed towards Kakashi.

"Hmm, I see. So that would make you the White Fang's daughter." she says. "I never knew anything about the White Fang having any children."

"So that's it. That explains why you two look like him." The old man added.

* * *

We waited for who knows how long. To be honest, it felt like an eternity and it could have just been a couple of hours. But luckily, Sakura was able to remove most of the poison but they still had to make an antidote to counteract the remaining substance in Kankuro's body. Meanwhile, Kakashi, Naruto and I were standing in the hallway when we heard there was a message from the Hidden Leaf.

"It's from your Hokage." Baki said as he handed Kakashi the scroll.

"From grandma Tsunade?" Naruto asked. "What she say?"

"She says that Team Gai is on its way here to back us up." He replied.

"Huh? Bushier Brow Sensei's squad?" Naruto asked. "I can't wait to see how much they all changed. I hear even Neji has been made a Jounin. Well alright, there's no sense in waiting for them to get here. Let's go after the Akatsuki right now!" he yelled, taking off.

"Okay. Which way are you going?" Kakashi asked him, causing him to stop. "Do you even know where they are or which way they went?"

"Uh! No." he said as he turned back around.

"If you don't mind my asking, what have been the results so far of your attempts to pursue the Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked Baki.

"First Kankuro went after them by himself, and you see what happened to him." Baki said. "Then we dispatched a tracking unit to pursue them. But we have yet to hear back from them. And there's another problem. We believe that, well it appears that Captain Yuura, one of our council of advisors, has gone missing. We don't know if he's alive."

"So you're saying that you've completely lost track of the Akatsuki?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes. We have." Baki answered.

"Lord Baki." Said one of the medical Nin. "Kankuro has regained consciousness."

* * *

"Kankuro? Are you all right?" Temari asked.

"Temari. You're back already." Kankuro said weakly.

"I heard the village was in trouble." She told him.

"I'm sorry. To be such a bother." He told her.

"Shut up. Don't be ridiculous." Temari replied.

"Can you lead me to where Kankuro's fight with the Akatsuki took place?" Kakashi said to Baki.

"Hmm?" Baki replied.

"I'm known for having a pretty good nose for tracking. If even the slightest trace of their scent remains on the scene…" Kakashi started.

"There's no need for that." Kankuro interrupted as he forced himself to sit up. "Where are my puppets? I assume that my puppets were recovered, right?" After waiting for a few minutes, Kankuro's puppets were brought in.

"He fought with me, while the other carried Gaara away." Kankuro explained. "You might not be able to follow Gaara's scent, but you can definitely follow the one I fought. I was able to retrieve a piece of his clothing. It was the last thing I did."

"Even in defeat, you went down fighting." Kakashi said as he picked up the piece of cloth. "Just what I expect from a Sand Shinobi." He tells him and soon looks at me. "Kazumi."

"Right." I replied. We both began to perform a series of hand signs.

"**Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"** we both exclaimed together.

We placed our hands on the ground, causing smoke to appear around us. Once the smoke diminishes; a pack of Ninja hounds and a pack of ninja wolves were revealed. The large group made up of hounds was none other than Kakashi's Ninja Hound Squad. The group consisted of: Pakkun, Bull, Urushi, Shiba, Bisuke, Akino, Uhei and Guruko.

The small group that was made of wolves was my team. My group consisted of: Nanako (first summoning and main partner), Ayame (Nanako's younger sister), Takeshi (Nanako's older brother) and Haru (Nanako's younger brother). Nanako had dark grey fur with a white patch of fur along her stomach. Ayame had light grey fur. As for Takeshi and Haru, they both had black fur. However, Haru had a grey patch covering his eyes and nose. They all wore ninja headbands around their necks, indicating they were a part of the Hidden Leaf Village.

"At your service. Eight Ninja Hounds." Pakkun said.

"At your command, Four Ninja Wolves." Nanako stated.

"Nanako… You and the others… Please don't ever do that again." I say with a small twitch, my eyes narrowed slightly. "It's sort of… well… its embarrassing."

"Hey. Pakkun!" Naruto said.

"Huh? Is that you Naruto?" Pakkun asked. "Long time no see."

"Whoa, look at you. You haven't changed a bit." Naruto told him.

"You haven't either." Pakkun replied.

"Huh? What are you talking about? I'm a lot taller for one thing." Naruto said. His attention soon landed on the wolves. "Uh? They're new. I don't think I've seen them before. Not only that but they're wolves not dogs."

"These are my partners, Naruto. Meet Nanako, Ayame, Takeshi and Haru." I say to Naruto as I gestured to them while I said their names. "Guys, this is Naruto."

"Nice to meet you, Naruto." They all said together.

"All right, all right. Let's skip the reunion and the introductions for now." Kakashi said. "I need you guys to get on this right away."

"Nanako… Haru… Ayame… Takeshi… Take in the scent Kakashi sensei is holding and track down the individual it belongs to." I told them.

"Right." they said in unison.

"Find out which way he went, okay." Kakashi said. "Go on."

"We'll let you know if we find something." Pakkun said.

"Leave it to us." Nanako added and the two quickly took off.

"Okay! We move out as soon as Pakkun and the others return." Naruto said. "So I say we start getting ready."

"Not so fast, Naruto." Kakashi told him. Meanwhile, Sakura was able to create the antidote and immediately gave it to Kankuro. Hopefully it will take effect soon.

"All of you are going to need rest as well, especially after your long journey." Baki said. "We prepared rooms for you."

"But… But we have to go after Gaara." Naruto said.

"Thanks. We'll take you up on your offer." Kakashi told him and soon looked towards Naruto. "We may have to travel far and fast tomorrow."

"Okay, you win." Naruto said, giving up the argument.

"Naruto. Save my little brother." Kankuro told him.

"Don't worry, I will." Naruto assured him. "After all, I'm going to be Hokage someday. And for now, the Kazekage can just owe me one."

"Please. Follow me." Baki tells us.

* * *

After Baki showed us to our rooms, we all set our things down. While Sakura was getting ready for bed, I quietly left the room, heading over to Naruto and Kakashi's room. I calmly knocked on the door and waited. When the door opened, I was relieved to see Kakashi instead of Naruto. Before I could get one word out, I saw a serious look appear in Kakashi's eye.

"Naruto, I'll be back in a minute." He said over his shoulder. He kept the door cracked, making sure Naruto didn't see me.

"Uh, okay." I heard Naruto answer. I stepped off to the side to let Kakashi walk out. Once he closed the door, he directed his attention onto me.

"What is it? Everything all right?" he asks.

"Well…" I started. "How about we move away from the door before I tell you anything." I told him as I pointed down the hall. He just nods and we proceed down the hall a little. "I have something to tell you." I said as soon as we come to a stop, standing in front of one of the windows.

"Does this have anything to do with what happened back in the cave?" he asked.

"I guess I'm not surprised that you caught on to that." I told him. "Besides, I had a feeling that you might have anyway."

"So…? What's going on?" he asks.

"Well, you see…" I started. "How can I explain it?" I asked myself, pausing for a moment. "You see, I was attempting to contact Gaara." I admitted.

"Huh? What do you mean?" he asks.

"It's like Telepathy but I can only do so with people like me." I explain. "I mean, those who have a connection to a Tailed Beast."

"Tailed Beast Telepathy?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's right." I say with a slight nod.

"Can you communicate with the others?" he asks.

"Well, I'm not completely certain about that. But as far as I can tell, no." I answered. "So far I can only communicate with Naruto and Gaara. I guess I'm able to do so because I know them. However, my connection with Gaara is not nearly as strong as my connection with Naruto."

"I see." He says as he gives me a thoughtful look. "You said that you were attempting to contact Gaara. You were able to do so?"

"Yeah, I was. I was talking to him back at the cave." I answered. "He told me about the individual who was responsible for the attack on the Hidden Sand. He said that the enemy was wearing the black cloak with red clouds, the clothing of the Akatsuki. He has long blonde-colored hair, with a long piece covering his left eye, which hides a small camera."

"Gaara was able to give you a description of the enemy?" he asked, slightly surprised. I nodded once more to answer.

"Yes, but that's not all." I continued. "He also said that the guy is a long range fighter. He uses this explosive clay to fight. We need to be aware of this if we encounter him. His explosive clay is nothing to wave off."

"Hmm, I see. Well, given this information on this guy, as well as the information on the one named Sasori, we may have a chance of stopping them both." He stated. "Was Gaara able to tell you where they were hiding?"

I shook my head, "No, he wasn't able to. He's unconscious, so he doesn't know where he is or how he got there." I answered. "Sorry, but that's all I know."

"Well, at least we have more to go on when we find them. Nonetheless, it sounds like these opponents are going to be tough to deal with. Whether we fight them alone or together." Kakashi says. "Why haven't you said anything about this earlier?"

"I know I should have, but I didn't want Naruto to worry. And we didn't need him becoming even more impatient than what he already was." I answered. "I was planning to talk to you about this as soon as we arrived here. But we got preoccupied with other things."

"I see your point, but that's in the past now. We have more information than what we started with, so that's good." Kakashi says. "Have you tried to make contact since then?"

"Yes, but unfortunately I wasn't able to get him." I told him. "Plus I've been having this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since we arrived here. Something terrible is happening as we speak and I don't like it at all."

Before I could continue, I felt Kakashi place his hand gently on my shoulder, "For now, don't worry about it and get some rest. Who knows how long or how far we'll have to travel tomorrow."

I just sighed and nodded my head slightly, "Right."

* * *

After talking to Kakashi, I returned back to my room I shared with Sakura and sat on my bed, in Indian-Style as I began to meditate. I know it's been a long day, but I needed to talk to Kiyiya. I still couldn't help but feel very anxious about what was happening to Gaara. I knew the Akatsuki had him but I couldn't image just how they were going to take the Tailed Beast from his body. After entering my subconscious, I was sitting before the large gates and found Kiyiya lying down on the other side.

"_**Still worried about Gaara?" she asked.**_

"_Do you really have to ask?_" I asked as I pinched the bridge of my nose. "_I can't explain this very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Could they be…?_"

"_**You should get some rest, pup. Like your brother said, who knows what tomorrow has in store for you and the others." Kiyiya said. "You'll need to be well rested to be fully aware on your mission."**_

"_Yeah, you're right._" I agreed. "_I guess I'll have plenty of time to think about this tomorrow. So until then, I'll just let my mind rest._"

"_**Right. Goodnight, pup." She told me.**_

"_Goodnight to you as well, Kiyiya._" I told her.

Once the conversation was over, I snapped myself back to reality. When I opened my eyes, I found myself back inside the guest room. I glanced to my right to see Sakura fast asleep. Well, I didn't blame her. She worked hard and did a very great job saving Kankuro. She was definitely on her way to becoming a great medical-nin, which meant I had better step it up. I soon turned over and drifted off to sleep. I just hoped that we get to Gaara in time to rescue him.

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

The next morning, I woke up earlier than Sakura and quickly got ready. Pakkun, Nanako and the others had returned and had already filled me and Kakashi in on the situation. They were able to find the Akatsuki hideout, so that meant we were going to head out soon. Once I finished getting ready, I walked over to Sakura's bed and gently woke her up. Before long, she was up and getting ready as well. We soon headed out and met Naruto and Kakashi outside.

"Seems that we'll be working in conjunction with a squad from the sand village." Kakashi informed us. "As soon as they arrive, we'll head out."

"Sorry to keep you waiting." Temari said as she approached us.

"If that's everybody…" Kakashi started.

"Then we should head out." I finished.

"Okay! There's no time to waste. So let's get this show on the road." Naruto said.

"Lady Temari, wait!" Baki said as he landed beside us. "Temari. You are your group are to remain here and patrol the perimeter."

"Are you kidding me or what?" Temari asked.

"Orders. From above." He said simply. "If word gets out that the Kazekage is missing, our enemies may use that as an opportunity to attack the village."

"Don't you get it? That's why we must get him back as quickly as we can." Temari stated. "Look at these Leaf ninja. They came all this way from their village to rescue Gaara. And Gaara's not even their leader. It's the Sand Shinobi that should be rescuing him!"

"I'm sorry." Baki strained out.

"Well I'm going!" I voice yelled. We all looked up to see the same old woman from before, standing on top of the building. "If a Sand Shinobi is needed, then I'm the one to go."

"Granny Chiyo?" Temari said.

"But...But you're so…" Baki started.

"I'm retired, yes. Which means of course I'm free to do whatever I want." She said. Suddenly she jumps and lands safely on the ground before us. "Besides, it's been awhile since I've seen my adorable grandchild." With that taken care of, we all headed out to the main entrance of the village. Afterwards, we proceeded forward, heading straight to the Akatsuki's hideout.

* * *

**Please review.**


	5. The Hunt For The Kazekage

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter Five: The Hunt For The Kazekage, Encounter With Itachi Uchiha _

"Naruto, can I ask you a question?" Sakura asked. "How long do you think the Akatsuki's been after you and Kazumi?"

"I don't know." Naruto answered.

"Two members of the Akatsuki came to the Leaf looking for Naruto and Kazumi once." Kakashi explained to her. "But it's been three years since then with no sign of them. And now they're back."

"But why do you think they waited so long before they made another move?" Sakura asked.

"It could be the fact that Master Jiraiya was around and didn't want to fight him." Kakashi said.

"That's not it." Lady Chiyo said. "From what I learned, there was an entirely different reason as to why they waited so long."

"What reason?" Naruto asked.

"If you're going to try to lure out the Tailed Beasts that dwells within, a great deal of preparation is involved. In other words, they needed more time." Lady Chiyo explained.

"What are you talking about? What Tailed Beasts?" Sakura asked.

"_Hmm, I see. So it seems that Sakura doesn't know everything. Just only know the information about Naruto._" I thought.

"My, my. You're a student of that old slug queen, Tsunade, and you don't even know that." Lady Chiyo said. "When the Leaf itself its host is the Nine-Tailed Fox."

"The Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit is nothing we talk about." Kakashi told her. "It's considered top secret."

"Really? Well, not surprising I guess." Lady Chiyo said. "Tailed Beasts are demon spirits with one or more tails. The Sand has had the single tailed beast since long ago. That's the Shukaku sealed inside Gaara."

"So then… there's more of these demon spirits?" Sakura asked.

"Oh yes. There are a total of nine of them in the world." Lady Chiyo said. "Each with distinct characteristics. And each with a different number of tails. The demon beast with one tail, a two tail, three tail and so on. All the way up to the Nine-Tailed Fox of the Leaf. The beasts are large concentrations of chakra and each nation battled to gain control of them for military purposes."

"Nine? But wait, there's…" Naruto started. I quickly jumped over to his side and grabbed his shoulder, stopping him from saying another word. When he looked back at me, he saw a serious look in my eyes.

"_Naruto, don't say another word._" I thought to him. "_Not everyone knows about the Ten Tailed Wolf. So we must keep it that way. And that means we don't tell everyone we see, understand._"

"_Huh? Oh, okay, I got it._" He thought back. "_I won't say anything else._"

"_Thanks._" I replied back with a sigh of relief.

"What were you about to say?" Lady Chiyo asked.

"Huh? Oh, uh, it… it was nothing." Naruto said calmly.

"_Great. Now she's trying to find out._" I thought.

We continued moving through the treetops as Lady Chiyo continued her story about the Tailed Beasts. A little ways, we spotted a clearing. So we jumped to the ground and moved forward from there. Kakashi lead the way as the rest of us followed close behind.

"Everybody stop!" Kakashi yelled as he held his arms out. We did so and there we found none other than Itachi Uchiha standing before us.

"Who's that?" Sakura asked.

"_So soon?" _Kakashi thought.

"_Those eyes. Could it be…?_" Thought Lady Chiyo.

"_Damn it. If he's here, than that means…_" I thought.

"I know you." Naruto growled. "Itachi…" Naruto started.

"…Uchiha." I finished.

"So… That's the one." Lady Chiyo said as she walked forward. "The child who wiped out his entire clan."

"Kakashi…. Naruto…. Kazumi…. It's been awhile." Itachi said.

"It wasn't enough for you, huh?" Naruto growled. "You had to go after Gaara as well. I'll destroy every last one of you!" As we stood there, Itachi slowly started moving his head.

"Everyone, whatever you do, don't look at him in the eyes." Kakashi ordered. "Itachi's Genjutsu is a visual Jutsu. Which means avoid eye contact to avoid being trap in his Jutsu."

"Yeah, that I know." Naruto said.

"Okay, but then, how are we suppose to fight him?" Sakura asked.

"That's the tricky part." Kakashi replied. "You have to anticipate his moves by watching his feet, his body."

"That's like fighting with one arm tied behind your back." She growled.

"Hmm, the Uchiha Clan. It's been a while since I went up against the Sharingan." Lady Chiyo said.

"We may be able to take him on since the numbers are in our favor." I said. "We just have to make sure we're not caught in the Genjutsu."

"Then let's go. I'll take the rear." Naruto said.

"Wait." Kakashi told him.

"Okay, we're waiting. But what are we waiting for?" Naruto asked.

"We're dealing with something much more complicated." Kakashi explained. "He uses Mangekyo Sharingan. It's far more powerful than any visual Jutsu. It only takes a second. But if it hits you, it will be the longest second in your life. It can feel like you are trapped in his Jutsu for days when it will only feel like a second in the real world. I know because I was trapped for three days and lost consciousness for more than a week."

"That does sound tricky." Lady Chiyo said. "Seems like he's a troublesome fellow."

"Very good, Kakashi." Itachi said. "You learned quite a bit, especially when it was your first time being trapped."

"That's not all I learned. There's a price to pay for using such a technique." Kakashi told him. "Not only do you use a significant large amount of chakra, you also risk damaging your eye farther. I'll admit, I underestimated you last time. But let me assure you, I'm not the same fool I use to be."

"Heh. And don't go thinking I'm the same kid either." Naruto added. "A lot of things have changed since then."

"Naruto, leave him to me." Kakashi told him.

"Not again. Not that kind of teamwork where we sit back and do nothing." Naruto growled.

"No. This time you cover me." Kakashi told me. "I wish I could say you guys can go on ahead. I can handle this alone. But I never make the same mistake twice."

"It's time that you come with me. Naruto. Kazumi." Itachi said.

"_Huh? Why on earth would he want this girl? Naruto is the Nine-Tailed Fox's Jinchuriki. Don't tell me that she is a Jinchuriki as well._" Lady Chiyo thought.

While we stood there and got ready to attack, Naruto suddenly rushes forward with his Rasengan charged and aiming for nothing. When he jumped back, he just stood there. Sakura, Lady Chiyo and I quickly poured our chakra into him, snapping him out of Itachi's Genjutsu.

"Naruto! Are you all right!?" Kakashi asked.

"What happened?" Naruto asked.

"You were caught in a Genjutsu." I told him.

"We all funneled our chakra into you to break the Jutsu." Sakura added.

"I don't get it. Where did his shadow clones go?" Naruto asked.

"What do you mean shadow clones?" Lady Chiyo asked. "He hasn't used such a thing the whole time we were standing here."

"Naruto, you just freaked out all of a sudden and started shooting off your Rasengan at absolutely nothing." Sakura said. "You don't remember any of that?"

"Are you saying I was already in the Genjutsu?" Naruto asked.

"I fear that he's using more than just a visual Jutsu." Lady Chiyo said.

"I think it's about time for the main event." Kakashi said. "Better get it together, Naruto."

"Come on, Naruto. Snap out of it." I told him as I placed my hand on his cheek. He looks at me for a second and soon jumps out of his trance. Kakashi quickly takes off after Itachi, but as he does so, Itachi performs hand signs for his next attack.

"**Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!"** Itachi exclaimed. However, Kakashi was fast enough to avoid the attack.

"He's not done yet!" Kakashi warned us. And soon Itachi's second attack came seconds later.

"**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"** Itachi said, sending a large ball of fire towards us. We all jumped into the air to avoid the blast.

Once the dust cleared, we had hidden ourselves within the forest. Meanwhile, Kakashi had charged his Lightning Blade and went after Itachi. Itachi jumped into the air, avoiding the attack. However, Naruto was high in the air, waiting for him. He's clone disappeared and Naruto came down onto Itachi, slamming a Rasengan into his stomach, sending him into the ground. When the smoke cleared, Itachi was standing before a large crater. Naruto was quick to use the cover of the mist to disappear into the forest.

"Naruto, you all right?" I whispered to him.

"Yeah." He answered as he panted. "I thought for sure with Kakashi sensei using his attack as a diversion, we had him."

Itachi just stood there, staring forward. As he did so, fog suddenly appeared. But it wasn't just around Itachi; it was surrounding the forests and the immediate area around us. I knew instantly that this was Kakashi's doing. Now all we had to do was keep our focus on Kakashi's presence and focus on our target as well. We just sat there quietly as the fog grew thicker by the second.

"Kakashi! Can we please put an end to this childish game of Hide and Seek?" Itachi asked.

"Sure, why not?" Kakashi replied as he came out of hiding. Kakashi quickly drew kunai knives and tossed them at Itachi. As he dodged them, he performed hand signs.

"**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"** Itachi attacked. The fireball exploded, clearing out the mist in the process. When the view was clear, Naruto and I spotted a hole in the path where the fireball created. Kakashi came out of hiding when he attacked Itachi, but Itachi was able to catch him. Now the two stood there as they both had a tight grip of the other.

"Naruto. Now's our chance." I told him.

"Right!" he replied. Naruto quickly called forth a shadow clone and began to create a large, stronger Rasengan. **"Giant Rasengan…!"** Naruto yelled.

Kakashi's clone continued to hold him still as my attack kept him from moving his arms. This gave Naruto the opportunity to finish him off. Kakashi's clone disappears and Naruto strikes Itachi with his Rasengan. The attack exploded and sent Itachi flying back. Once the blast stopped carrying Itachi's body, we all headed over to see if he was truly defeated or not. However, we were all surprised to see what was awaiting us instead.

"What on earth…?" Lady Chiyo started to say.

"When we were fighting, I could feel something was off." Kakashi said.

"I don't get it. What the heck just happened?" Naruto asked.

"It has to be some type of Jutsu." Sakura said.

"That… That man." Lady Chiyo said.

"Lady Chiyo. Do you know who this person is?" Kakashi asked.

"I do." She replied quietly. His name is Yuura. And he's a Jounin from our own Village."

"A Sand Shinobi?" Naruto said.

"What does this mean?" Kakashi asked.

"I wish I knew." Lady Chiyo replied. "Yuura went missing after Gaara was abducted."

"Could it be possible that he was a spy for the Akatsuki?" Sakura asked.

"No. He served on the council for four years." Lady Chiyo explained.

"So the Akatsuki could have had some kind of mind controlling jutsu over him." I suggested. "I mean, if he's as loyal to the Hidden Sand as you say, that has to be the reason."

"You may be right. Yuura was a very loyal man indeed." Lady Chiyo stated. "However, it's just like I thought. They were merely buying themselves time."

"_Buying time. Then that means they've already…_" I thought. My muscles instantly tense up, knowing exactly what she was referring to. "_Damn it! The extraction process…! That has to be it!_"

"_**Yes. There's no doubt that it. They've started the procedure." Kiyiya added.**_

"That's an impressive Jutsu they got." Kakashi said.

"For them to use a Jutsu like this to stall us can only mean one thing." Lady Chiyo said as she continued to write something down on a small scroll. "The extraction of the Tailed Beast has already begun."

"We're out of time. We need to get to Gaara right away." Kakashi said.

"So wait, hold on." Sakura said. "What do you mean by; extraction?"

"_Ugh! Damn it, Sakura…_" I groaned inwardly.

"They're after the Shukaku. If they can draw out the One-Tail, they can create a new Jinchuriki." Explained Lady Chiyo.

"A new Jinchuriki?" Sakura asked.

"I told you how the Tailed Beasts contain power of all reckoning." She said. "And how every land tried to use them as military weapons? Jinchuriki is the name given to those who control that power."

"I see." Sakura said quietly.

"There were those who tried to harness that power for themselves." She continued. "Attempting to seal them away inside of people. By suppressing that power, they hoped to bend it to their will. Those individuals are known as Jinchuriki."

"_**Is her story bothering you, pup?" Kiyiya asked.**_

"_I just don't want to hear it. You've already explained it to me, so…_" I told her. "_I guess everyone should know. I guess._"

"**But that old woman is right. For years, many have only seen us as weapons. That continues on today." Kiyiya tells me. "However, you and Naruto are quite different, pup. Different from the various Jinchuriki that came before you."**

"_That's because Naruto and I don't see you or Kurama as such._" I thought back. "_You're more like friends, our comrades. Even though Kurama is too stubborn to see that for himself._"

Suddenly, Lady Chiyo threw one of the scrolls down. When it unraveled, it revealed a symbol. With a simply hand sign, she summoned some kind of tool that looked like a windup toy. She turned the key and sent the small messenger bird off.

"There were several wars where they used the Jinchuriki, weren't they?" Sakura asked.

"That's correct." Lady Chiyo replied.

"The people who become Jinchuriki…" she started but stopped and turned her direction over towards Naruto. "All right then. How are the Tailed Beasts extracted?"

"_Why the hell would she ask a question like that?_" I growled in my head. "_Damn it, Sakura. Some things are best left unsaid._"

"A couple of things are needed. A sealing Jutsu, strong enough to counterbalance the Tailed Beast's power and a lot of time." Answered Lady Chiyo. "But for things to reach that point, the Jinchuriki…"

"You don't mean?" Sakura asked.

"That's right dear. Once the Tailed Beast is extracted, they die." She finished. "And the Jinchuriki that came before Gaara. We extracted the beast from them. It was the same result." As Sakura stood there, tears immediately start to form in her eyes.

"You always were quick to cry. Uh, Sakura?" Naruto told Sakura. "Hey, don't worry. I promise I'm going to save Gaara." He smiled.

"Don't you get it? Naruto, I'm concerned…" Sakura said.

"Then we better hurry. We don't need to waste any more time." I told her as I walked off. "So let's get moving."

"Yeah, right…" He agreed, following close behind me.

* * *

After moving for a bit, we took a break to rest up and regain any lost chakra. I took a quick nap and when I woke up, I found it was dark. Nightfall was already upon us. I glanced back out the corner of my eye to see Sakura and Naruto still fast asleep. So I quietly sat up and packed up my things. After getting my things in my backpack, I jumped up onto a nearby branch up above and just sat there. I looked up to spot a half a moon in the night sky.

"_**I see that you couldn't sleep any longer." Kiyiya thought. "You know you can't hide anything from me. You're blaming yourself for what's happening to Gaara."**_

"_Can you blame me?_" I thought. "_The only reason they are coming after the other Jinchuriki is because they want you, Kiyiya. And that includes the other half of the Ten-Tails._"

"_**Pup, stop worrying yourself!" Kiyiya yelled. "We've been together for this long, so we will get through this together. Like we always have."**_

I shook my head slightly to shake the sleep off, "_Yeah, you're right._" I agreed quietly. "_Before we head out, I want to try and contact Gaara again._"

"_**All right, let's try." She agreed.**_

I sat down on the branch and started to contact with Gaara. A few minutes pass and I wasn't able to make contact with him. This was not good. A few minutes more, I finally stopped. I reopened my eyes and just looked up, staring at the half full moon high in the night sky.

"_Please… please… let us make it in time to save him._" I thought to myself. I couldn't help but clench my fists in the process. "_…Gaara…_"

* * *

After resting up, we quickly got back to the mission. We were close to the Akatsuki's hideout, which meant that we were getting close to save Gaara. Once we made it to the Akatsuki's hideout, we saw that Team Gai, Gai, Lee, Neji and Tenten were already there.

"You're late as usual, Kakashi." Gai said.

"Well, you see, we ran into a little trouble along the way." Kakashi explained.

"Naruto! Sakura! Kazumi!" Lee said happily.

"Wait a minute. By a little trouble, you don't mean me, do you Kakashi?" Lady Chiyo asked.

"Well?" Naruto growled.

"_Naruto's face and his eyes. He's already started to transform._" I thought. "_This can't be good. If he's anger continues to grow…_"

"_**This can't be good. If anything happens, you need to try and stop him." Kiyiya told me.**_

"_I know and you're right._" I replied.

"Looks like we were just a step behind you guys." Sakura says as we approach the team.

"Yeah." Tenten replied. "Uh, who's that old lady?"

"Oh! This is Lady Chiyo. She's an advisor from the Sand Village." Sakura explained as she gestured to that said woman.

"Very pleased to meet you." Lady Chiyo said as she held up a peace sign.

"Well then. Let's do this, Kakashi." Gai sensei said.

"Right." Kakashi replied. As we stood there, Neji used his Byakugan to look through the large boulder, hoping to find out what was going on.

"Inside… it looks like there's a large cavern. But…" Neji explained.

"But what?" Lee asked.

"I… I just can't make out what's going on in there." Neji continued. "I see several people."

"Neji. What about Gaara? What's happening?" Naruto asked as he shook Neji. "Is he one of the people you see?"

"Back off a second." Neji told him. "I'm trying to locate him now." He looked down at the body that lay on the ground. And just as he was about to look at his face, Naruto interrupted him.

"Neji!" Naruto screamed.

"Take it easy." Neji told him. Neji soon directed his attention on a large statue that stood in the middle of the cavern. He watched as the statue started closing it eyes, one by one. He soon looked around the whole room as he drew back his vision. "I don't… What is that thing?"

"What is it? What's going on?" Naruto asked as he shook him. "Neji! What's in there?"

"Let go of me." Neji told him, in which he does so.

"Well? What did you see?" Sakura asked.

"It's hard to describe with words." Neji told her.

"Wait. So that would mean…" Tenten started.

"Yes. Means that whatever it is, we'll have to go see it for ourselves." Lee told her.

"That makes thing easy, doesn't it?" Gai asked him. Suddenly, Gai Sensei back flips away from the group. He soon rushes forward with his fist pulled back. But once he struck the large boulder, it didn't shatter nor did it move. A barrier was protecting it. "Quite a barrier."

* * *

"What is your plan?" Lee asks as Gai walks back to us.

"Well Lee, It's pretty obvious that we need to get rid of that barrier." Gai says.

"And how do we do that?" Tenten asks.

"Before we think about getting through, we have to figure out what kind of barrier it is." Stated Sakura.

"That's right. So… Figure out the type of barrier." Gai told us. "That's step one. Right, Kakashi?"

"Yeah." Kakashi agrees.

"What do you think?" Lady Chiyo asked.

"Hmm. It could be a Five Seal Barrier." Kakashi suggested. "

"I agree with you." Said Lady Chiyo.

"A Five Seal Barrier?" Naruto asked.

"It's a strong layer protection in which five tags with the word _forbidden_ written on them, are fasten around the area that's being guarded." Kakashi explains. "One forbidden tag is in front of us. And four more must be in other locations."

"Can we just pull them off?" Gai asks.

"It's not that easy." Kakashi tells him. "The tags are in five different places. But they must be taken down at the exact same moment."

"So pulling them down simultaneously will break the barrier." I told them.

"Right. The barrier won't budge are pulled off simultaneously." Kakashi says. "It's a tall order."

"All right then, let's do it." Naruto says. "How do we figure out where the other tags are?"

"Neji." Kakashi says.

"I understand." Neji replies. With that, Neji uses his Byakugan to locate the other four tags. "I found them."

"Awesome Neji! Point them out!" Naruto tells him.

"One is on a boulder about 500 meters northeast of us." Neji says. "The second one is on a tree trunk beside a riverbank 350 meters South Southeast. The third you'll find 650 meters northwest on a cliff and the last is located inside the woods that 800 meters southwest."

"Each tag is pretty far away. They made sure to keep us as busy as possible." I told him. "But how are we supposed to communicate to signal each other?"

"I think I can handle that." Gai Sensei said as he removed his backpack, searching inside for something."We should just be in range for these." He said, pulling out a headset. "They are wireless radios."

"Wow. That's amazing." Naruto said.

"Good thinking." Kakashi added.

"Okay, so we'll stay in constant communication and follow Neji's direction towards the tags." Gai explained. "Okay, let's find these tags and get rid of them. Team Gai is the faster, so we'll deal with them."

"We're all counting on you." Naruto told them.

"What's the frequency?" Kakashi asked.

"One Seventy Four." Gai answered.

"Copy that." Kakashi said as he adjusted his headset.

"Testing! Do you read me?!" Lee yelled, thus causing Neji, Tenten, Gai and Kakashi to jump in pain as a response.

"Lee! Your microphone is up too loud!" Tenten told him.

"A thousand apologizes!" he yelled again, causing pain to flare up once more.

"Lee. The mic." Gai told him. With that, Lee quickly turns down the volume.

"Sorry guys." He said in a normal tone.

As Team Gai got ready to set out, Gai suddenly places his hand out before him and his teammates. He soon started to make this annoying humming sound. Lee was the first to answer as he placed his hand on top of Gai's. He continued the annoying sound with Tenten. So she quickly placed her hand on top of Lee's to make him stop. However, Neji didn't give up as easily as his teammates. And thus, this caused Gai to go into a humming fit. He continued until Neji placed his hand in.

"Onward with the power of youth!" Gai cheered. He and Lee cheered together a few times before they scattered to carry on their assignment.

"Oh man. That was so cool!" Naruto said excitedly. "Hey! We should do it too!"

"I would rather die." Sakura quickly stated.

"Me too." Added Kakashi.

"Not a chance." Lady Chiyo said.

"Come on Kazumi, what about you?" Naruto asked.

"Sorry Naruto, but I have a rule about doing anything that Gai sensei does. It's nothing personal against you." I told him. "Besides, that looks way too embarrassing if you ask me."

"Aw, come on Kazumi-chan. It would be fun." Naruto tells me.

"Sorry, but no thanks." I told him.


	6. Lord Kazekage Saved-Mission Accomplished

**Hey everyone. Sorry for the wait but I'm trying to get them out as fast as possible. I really appreciate the positive comments. I would love positive criticism as well. I honestly don't care about those who think my character is a Mary Sue or whatever and leave comments saying that. For those who are enjoying the story, I will continue. But for my loyal readers... if you think I need to pull back some, let me know, okay.**

**So without further adieu, here's chapter six.**

**- Kazumi**

* * *

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter Six: Lord Kazekage Saved, Mission Accomplished_

Sakura stood a few feet away from the large boulder, readying herself to strike. With Kakashi's signal, Sakura rushed forward. She pulled back her arm, gathering her chakra in the process. Just as she connects with the boulder, Kakashi quickly jumps off to avoid being caught, snatching off the tag in the process. The boulder crumbled to the ground below, causing Sakura to dodge out the way, avoid being crush. We all jumped forward, entering the cave. But once inside, we found that we were too late. Standing there waiting for us were two of the Akatsuki members.

"_Oh no… We're… we're too late. I can't feel Shukaku's chakra or Gaara's. The extraction… it… it was successful._" I thought.

"You, you bastards…!" Naruto growled. "Where the hell do you think you're sitting?!"

"Well, so much for that mystery." The blonde haired guy said. "This kid is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He's the one that burst in and barks first all right. Itachi was right on the money, un?"

"_The guy with the blonde hair, he is just as Gaara described. And he's also wearing the black cloak with red clouds as well._" I thought.

* * *

_Flashback….._

"_Yes. He's a part of the Akatsuki and has long blonde hair. He had a long piece covering his left eye, which hides a small camera.__" Gaara explained. "__I was able to fend him off as long as I could but he was able to defeat me…..__"_

_End of Flashback…_

* * *

"_I see. So he's the one who was able to infiltrate the Hidden Sand Village. Not only that, but he fought and defeated Gaara. So he must be strong._" I thought.

"Gaara…! What the hell are you doing?" Naruto asked. "Come on! Why are you just lying there? Get up! Gaara, answer me! Are you deaf? Come on already!"

"Naruto, enough!" Kakashi told him. "You know full well…"

"Your friend is right and you know it too. He's been dead for awhile now." the blonde said as he patted Gaara on the face. That just caused the anger inside Naruto and myself to increase. He was doing this to get to us. There was no doubt about it.

"Well?" the other one stated.

"Yep, that's him all right." the blonde said and soon turned his attention onto me. "So that means that the silver haired girl over there is the other one. Heh, well would you look at that, Hn. Looks like we both get one."

"What did he say?" I heard Lady Chiyo say. I knew she and Sakura were looking at me but I didn't bother looking at them at the moment.

"What is he talking about?" Sakura asked.

"Hmm, so it would seem that you don't know." The puppet said. "That girl you have with you, she's a Jinchuriki as well. In fact, she's the Jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails."

"What?!" Lady Chiyo and Sakura gasped.

"_So there are actually ten beasts? How is that even possible? Even I didn't know that there were nine in the first place._" Sakura thought.

"_Damn idiots. They run their mouths too much._" I growled.

"Hmm, from the look of some of your faces, it appears that even you didn't know that." The puppet stated. "It's such a shame really. You have the two strongest Tailed Beasts and yet, neither of you knows how to use them. What a waste."

"Give him back. Give Gaara back you damn…" Naruto growled as he charged forward but was quickly stopped by Kakashi.

"Cool it. Charge in without thinking and we're done for." Kakashi told him.

"Look Sasori, I'll hold on to this guy. I really want to fight the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails." The blonde stated. "But then again, I want to see the power of that Ten-Tails brat too. My, my; decisions, decisions, Hm."

"Don't push your luck, Deidara." Sasori stated. "You've gotten the One Tail. And now you're getting the Nine-Tails. Be grateful for that. I'll deal with the Ten-Tails brat myself. Got it?!"

As we stood there, the two began to bicker at each other like a bunch of children. It was weird but we didn't let our guard down because it was a good chance of that being some kind of trap. Naruto soon got impatient and summoned a weapon. He aimed and threw it right at the puppet, but just before it could hit him, Sasori used his tail to block it. But what caught our attention was the fact that he kept his eyes on his partner the entire time. The two just continued on with their conversation. Suddenly Deidara gets up and throws something into the air. Once the smoke cleared, a large birdlike object was revealed.

As the bird picked up Gaara, Deidara sad something to Sasori that caught him to attack. However, Deidara was quick enough to avoid the hit. He jumped onto the bird's back and took off with Gaara. Naruto instantly ran after him, not wanting him to escape. I quickly ran after him. Kakashi had no other choice but to follow us.

"Not so fast, Jinchuriki! You're mine!" Hiruko (Sasori) growled.

"If you want to get to her, you'll have to get through us first." Sakura growled.

Once outside, Naruto and I stood on top of the pole. Deidara was hovering overheard, taunting us. I swear he was pissing me off. if it wasn't for the fact that he had Gaara in his possession, I would attack him with no mercy. I knew Naruto felt the exact same way. But right now, we were determined to rescue Gaara, no matter what. Suddenly, Naruto lunges out but ends up slamming right into the side of the wall. Deidara threw a damn clay bomb at me but I used my wind attack to slice it in two.

"_If Naruto's anger gets the best of him, he's going to transform._" I thought. "_And who knows what may happen this time around._"

"_**It might be worse." Kiyiya pointed out. "If anger is the key to trigger Kurama's power, than Kurama will use that as an opportunity to gain control of Naruto."**_

"_Geez. Not only do we have to deal with this guy named Deidara. But now we have to worry about Naruto's anger and Kurama unleashing his power and take control of him._" I thought. "_This just makes our job even harder._"

"_**Nothing's ever easy." She replied.**_

"_Heh, isn't that the truth._" I tell her. As I continued moving. Naruto, Kakashi and I continued to follow Deidara as he tries to blow us up with his clay explosives.

"Step it up, Kakashi sensei!" Naruto growled. "Let's go. We'll lose him if we don't get a move on already!"

"It's okay; you're the whole reason why he's here." Kakashi told him. "He won't move ahead to lose us completely."

"Fine then. Just tell me how to take this guy down already!" Naruto growled. "We're running out of time!"

"Don't worry, Naruto. I have a couple of strategies in mind. But I'm gonna need a little more time to work out the angles."

"I can't hang back, don't you get it? I've got to get to Gaara before it's too late!" he growled. "You jerk! Get back here!" Naruto yelled as he rushed forward to catch up with Deidara.

"Naruto, wait!" Kakashi said. "_There's no getting through to him now. I have no choice. Only one option left_" Kakashi thought.

As the three of us followed Deidara, he suddenly dropped down this small, bugs made out of clay. Naruto and I were able to get through but when Kakashi tried, he ended up jumping back, keeping herself from getting hit from the explosion. Naruto continued to move forward, but I stopped to look back.

"Kakashi sensei…! Are you all right!?" I asked.

"I'm fine. But continue moving along with Naruto." He said. "Make sure he doesn't do anything reckless."

"Understood." I said and quickly started moving. When I reached Naruto, I found that Deidara had also stopped moving.

"Now then. It's just the three of us." Deidara said. "I can't believe I get to take care of not only the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki but the Ten-Tails as well."

* * *

When Kakashi caught up with us, he started placing his plan into action. He activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and aimed it straight at Deidara. Naruto and I watched as the sky started to swirl around him. I figured his intentions was to suck Deidara inside however, he was only able to get his arm. But this was good news, now he wasn't able to cast any of his Jutsu. Kakashi tried to use it again but Deidara continued to move away from his sight. Meanwhile, Naruto and I were sitting and waiting for Deidara to appear. Before long, we spotted him heading right towards us.

"You ready Naruto?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Let's go for it." He replied.

Without wasting time, I drew a length of chain from my pouch and I quickly moved, using the covering of the trees to position myself. Once I had a clear shot of Deidara, I swung one end of the chain in my right hand and threw it into the air. As I planned, I latched the chain around the clay bird's neck. I kept a tight grip, keeping the enemy from escaping. Meanwhile, Naruto had launched himself in the air and was hovering over Deidara. But before Deidara could do anything, it was too late.

"**Rasengan!"** Naruto yelled.

In order to escape the attack, Deidara abandoned his bird and jumped to the trees below. Meanwhile, Naruto used his Rasengan to cut off the head of the bird, freeing Gaara in the process. Once the head was freed, I recoil the chain and placed it back inside my pouch. I quickly lunged myself up into the air to catch the head. Luckily Naruto created two clones to help me out. We carefully landed on a nearby branch and sat the head down gently. Naruto's clones and I quickly start breaking the claw to free Gaara. Once we made an opening, we saw Gaara just lying there, motionless.

"Gaara." I said quietly.

"Kakashi sensei, are you all right?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah." Kakashi replied quietly. "I think so."

"Well, you just rest up for right now. Naruto and I can finish off that punk." I told him.

"No, wait." Kakashi tells me.

"Huh? What's wrong?" I ask him.

Before he could answer, I figured out what he was talking about. I started feeling heavy chakra surfacing from Naruto. I looked over and saw Naruto's eyes had returned back to that blood red color and his pupils had turned into black slits. His whisker markings had also darkened and were wilder. Naruto was able to catch Deidara off guard and knocked him out of the tree he was standing in. Once he had the Akatsuki member pinned to the ground, Naruto constantly punched the hell out of him. To finish him off, he tried to hit him with the Rasengan but ended up striking a pile of clay.

"Its clay. A substitution." Kakashi said.

While we stood there, Kakashi and I realized that the red chakra was slowly surrounding Naruto's body. A single chakra tailed appeared behind Naruto as the rest of the chakra slowly started to reveal itself. Naruto's hair became spikier, he claws got sharper and his fangs soon appeared, longer. Before long, the two fox ears appeared on top of his head as well. Naruto suddenly punches the ground, creating a larger crater. I also noticed that black marks appeared around his lips and eyes.

"Naruto…." I said quietly. "Naruto!"

"No. I'll handle it. You stay here." He tells me.

"But…" I started but decided not to continue. "_Naruto. Kurama, you damn bastard, I bet you're doing this on purpose. Still trying to escape, no doubt._" I thought.

I soon spotted the second tail appearing. As it did so, Kakashi and I also noticed that it was starting to affect the shadow clones. They were groaning in pain, no doubt the power was burning them as well. With two tails present, Naruto started to go on a rampage, destroying trees that stood in his way. Kakashi jumps down and rushes towards Naruto. Quickly, he places the seal on Naruto's forehead. Instantly, the Nine Tails' chakra began to disappear, being suppressed back into Naruto's body. As the chakra disappeared, I jumped down and landed beside Kakashi.

"What was that?" I asked. "What did you do?"

"Master Jiraiya gave me that seal, just in case something like this happened." Kakashi explained to me. "Its suppressing the Nine Tails' chakra back into his body."

"_I see. So that's what Master Jiraiya used during Naruto's training._" I thought. "_Well, there's no doubt that it's certainly doing its job._"

I watched until finally Naruto was back to normal. I looked back to see that the shadow clones were fine as well. As I stood there next to Kakashi, I saw Naruto beginning to fall. I hastily rush forward and caught him before he struck the ground. I carefully moved him away from the destroyed ground and sat him down on the grass instead.

"Naruto? Naruto, can you hear me?" I asked him quietly. I waited patiently for Naruto to answer me while he leaned over, trying to catch his breath. Before long, he finally lifted his head and looked at me.

"Huh? Kazumi?" he asks quietly as he looks up at me. Seeing that he had returned back to normal, I couldn't help but to smile back at him. I was relieved that he was all right.

"Hey." I said quietly.

"Are you all right now, Naruto?" Kakashi asks him as he glances at the destruction around us. "_Master Jiraiya, what on earth did you see?_" Kakashi thought to himself. While we sat there, Sakura and Lady Chiyo suddenly appear.

"You found us. Nice work." Kakashi told them.

"We felt a huge trimmer a few minutes ago." Sakura tells us.

"I'm glad you're here. So you guys did it?" Naruto asks as I helped him sit up on his knees.

"Yeah." Sakura replies.

"Well… that's one less Akatsuki member we'll have to worry about." I told them.

"It looks like you're still having some trouble here though." Lady Chiyo says as she looks at the destruction.

"Unfortunately." Kakashi tells her.

"What about Gaara? Where's he?" she asks. Naruto and I didn't say a word. We just looked into the direction where Naruto's clones were still holding him.

"All right." she says quietly.

As we sat there, we suddenly started hearing what sounded like someone fighting. Before long, Team Gai appeared, along with Deidara. But something was wrong. We all knew it when Deidara ate a piece of his exploding clay. His body started expanding, growing bigger and bigger. It looked like he could explode any minute.

"Be careful everyone!" Kakashi warns them. "He's a long range fighter and his specialty is explosives."

"He's concentrating his chakra to a single point." Neji stated quietly to himself. "Everyone! Get out of here immediately!" he yells at us. Team Gai quickly jumps away, heading right towards us.

"Art….Is an explosion!" Deidara yells as he explodes before us. As Team Gai moves towards us, a large fireball was following them. The explosion grew bigger but suddenly it just vanishes. Suddenly, Kakashi falls over but luckily Naruto caught him.

"_I expect no less from my rival._" Gai thought to himself.

"I don't get it. What did you do?" Sakura asks.

"Sent the explosion off into a different space." Kakashi explains out of breath.

"You… sent it… somewhere?" Sakura asks, apparently still a little confused.

"I'm not sure that I understand really. But it seems that the enemy has been defeated." Lee says. "Tenten, do you agree?"

"What the…?Are you kidding? The hell are you asking me for?" Tenten questions Lee as she looks at him.

"More importantly, is everyone okay?" Kakashi asks everyone.

"Sakura… can you?" One of Naruto clones ask.

* * *

**Inside a open field:**

Sakura was kneeling beside Gaara as she used her Medical Ninjutsu. Naruto was standing before them while I stood beside him. We just stood there quietly. The only sound that could be heard came from the gentle breeze that blew over the area. Suddenly, Sakura removes her hands off Gaara and just calmly shakes her head in disappointment. Naruto suddenly starts to break down crying. While I stood there, tears were already falling down my face. I chose to keep quiet since it was just going to make the situation harder to bare.

"Why… why is it always Gaara?" Naruto asks in between sobs. "If he dies like this… He's the Kazekage. He just became the Kazekage."

"Try to calm yourself, Naruto Uzumaki." Lady Chiyo tell him.

"You shut up!" Naruto yells. "Just shut up! If all of you Sand Shinobi hadn't put a monster inside of Gaara, then none of this would have ever happened to him! Did you ever consider how Gaara felt!? Did you ever even ask?! Calling us Jinchuriki. What gave you the right to label us? Who are you to determine someone else's fate?"

While Naruto and I stood there, I slowly started moving and walked over to Gaara. Once I was close, I kneeled beside him. Seeing him like this hurt. And the worse thing about it, this could be Naruto's fate. My fate. This wasn't right. No one. No one should die like this, especially Gaara.

"I couldn't save Sasuke. And I couldn't save Gaara either." Naruto continued. "For three years, I trained so hard. But nothing has changed."

"_Gaara… I'm so sorry that we didn't make it in time._" I thought to myself. "_I wasn't able to keep my promise after all. And because of that, you lost your life._" Tears continued to fall as I sat there with my head bowed respectfully for Gaara.

While I sat beside my friend, I heard footsteps slowly approaching. I looked up to see it was Lady Chiyo. I quickly got back to my feet to look at her. She soon kneeled down right beside Gaara. I watched as Lady Chiyo placed her hands on top of Gaara. Seconds later, her blue chakra glowed brightly and appeared around her hands.

"Huh? What are you…?" I started in a quiet voice.

"Lady Chiyo… that Jutsu!" Sakura suddenly says.

"I don't get it. What is she trying to do?" Naruto asks. "Leave him alone will ya! What do you think you're doing!?" Naruto yells. He steps forward to walk towards Gaara however, Sakura holds out her hand to stop him. "Huh? Sakura, what…?"

"Don't worry, Naruto. Everything is going to be all right." Sakura assured him. "She's going to bring back Gaara."

"She's bringing him back? But… How is that even possible?" Naruto asks. We stood there in silence until we heard Lady Chiyo grunt lightly, as if she was struggling.

"Not enough chakra." She breathes out heavily. "Come on."

"_Huh? Not enough Chakra?_" I repeated to myself. "Lady Chiyo." I said, catching her attention. "Use my chakra to save Gaara. Please. If there's a way to save Gaara, I want to do whatever I can to help. Please." She just looks up at me with a sort of surprised look. "I wasn't able to keep my promise. But if you can help him, no, save him. Please allow me to help you."

"Right." she finally says. I walked over to the other side of Gaara and kneel down beside him. "Place your hands on top of mine." I nodded and did what she told me. I started summoning my chakra, causing my hands to glow white. "Huh? Your chakra… it's white. It's just like the Leaf's White Fang. You truly are his daughter."

"Well you see; it's my clan's kekkei genkai." I explained as I continued to channel my chakra. As I did so, I suddenly heard footsteps advancing towards us. I looked up to see Naruto. He walked over and kneeled right beside me. "Naruto?"

"You can use my chakra as well." Naruto tells her. "Take as much as you need to. Please. If it's to save Gaara, use our chakra together."

"Place your hands on top of your friend's." she instructed. Naruto nods his head and does what she says. Once his hands where on mine, his chakra began to appear.

"In this world of Shinobi… created by freckled old people like me, it's a great comfort to me that new souls like yourselves have come along. Up till now, everything I've done in my life has been wrong. But at least here in my final hour, I can finally do something right for a change." Lady Chiyo says to us. "The Sand and the Leaf…may the future that awaits them, be different from the way things were in our time. You young man, become Hokage. One that the world has never seen. And for you young lady, you and Sakura cherish those close to your hearts. Naruto…. Kazumi… do an old woman a favor would you? You two know Gaara's pain and he knows yours. Please… look after Gaara."

* * *

Once Gaara was sitting up, Naruto placed his hand on his left shoulder while I place my hand his right. He looked right at Naruto with a surprised look on his face.

"Naruto?" he asks and turns his head to look at me. "Kazumi?" he soon looks around to see Sand Shinobi surrounding all of us. "What is this?" he asks.

"They all came running to help ya." Naruto told him. "You've had everyone worried half to death."

"Plus, they're all happy to see that you're safe. As are we." I added. With that, everyone cheers. "By the way, I'm sorry we're late, Lord Kazekage."

"You've caused us a whole lot of grief there, little brother." Kankuro says as he approaches us.

"Hey you two, show some respect!" Temari quickly snaps at Naruto and her brother. "Gaara is the Kazekage, remember, you nitwits." While Naruto gave her an annoyed look, Temari pushes him out the way so she could get to Gaara.

"Gaara! Talk to me. How do you feel?" she quickly asks. Gaara looks forward and tries to get up. However, he stops once he started to feel pain rushing through his body. "Easy. You shouldn't get up to quickly. Your body hasn't recovered completely yet."

Suddenly two of Gaara's 'fan-girls', two genin to be exact, started talking about how they would protect Lord Gaara next time. The two girls began to push and shove each other as they ran to the Kazekage. In the process, one of the girls ended up knocking Naruto back, causing him to trip over his feet and ended up on the ground.

"I know I'm still a Genin and all, but come on. Cut me a break." Naruto mumbled.

"You all right Naruto?" I asked as I stood in front of him. "Need a hand?"

"Yeah, thanks." He says as he grabs my hand, allowing me to pull him back to his feet. "Geez, those girls are crazy."

"Hey, don't sweat it." Kankuro says as he approached us. "Women always go weak in the knees for the cool elite type of guy. So what can you do, am I right?"

"Kankuro, get your facts straight before you take it upon yourself to label all women." I told him as I gave him an annoyed look. "Because let me assure you, I'm definitely not like that. Not even close."

"Fine, sorry. Some women." He corrects himself.

"That's… a little better." I told him.

"Hold on. Where's Lady Chiyo?" Naruto asks. Naruto and I looked over to see Lady Chiyo lying in Sakura's arms.

"Is she going to be all right?" I ask.

"No, unfortunately she won't." Kankuro replies.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asks.

"She used her Reanimation Jutsu to bring back Gaara." Kankuro tells us. "It's not Medical Jutsu. She gave up her life to Gaara so he could live. Lady Chiyo is dead."

"She gave up her life for Gaara." I said quietly. "_Lady Chiyo… thank you._" I thought. Naruto and I stood up and just looked at Lady Chiyo.

"Naruto, Kazumi." Temari says, catching our attention. "You two really do have the power to change people. You were somehow able to change Lady Chiyo. Lady Chiyo always use to say that she didn't care about the future of the Hidden Sand Village. She wasn't the type of person who would do something like this for Gaara."

"Lady Chiyo entrusted the future to you two and Gaara." Kakashi tells us. "It was a death befitting a Shinobi."

"Yeah, just like the Third." Naruto said quietly.

"That's true." Kakashi added.

"Hmm, I get it now. I understand what Granny wished for." Naruto said.

"And we will carry out her wish, just as we promised." I added.

Naruto and I turn around to see Gaara trying to stand up. Just as he got to his feet, he began to fall. But before he could hit the ground, Naruto and I rushed forward and caught him. Naruto stood on his right while I stood on his left. We walked side-by-side as we walked over to Sakura and Lady Chiyo.

"Everyone… pray for Lady Chiyo. Bid her farewell." Gaara says quietly. With that, Naruto, Gaara and I closed our eyes to pray and everyone quickly followed suit.

After paying our respects to Lady Chiyo, we all gather up and began to head back to the Hidden Sand Village. We had quite a ways to go, but the sooner we headed out, the sooner we could return the Kazekage back to his village and its people. And I had a feeling that everyone was going to be happy to see their Kazekage alive and well.


	7. Returning From The Hidden Sand

**Well... here's chapter seven. Enjoy.**

**-Kazumi**

* * *

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter Seven: Returning From The Hidden Sand, Enter Captain Yamato and Sai_

**Near the Hidden Sand Village:**

The sun was just peaking over the horizon when we made it back to the Hidden Sand Village. Naruto and Kankuro were in the lead with Gaara as they helped him walk. I stood next to Naruto on his left. As we made it back to the village, we spotted the entire village standing at the entrance, there to greet their Kazekage back home. It was truly a sight to behold. As soon as they spotted us, we could hear the cheers all the way from where we were standing.

"That's what I call a warm welcome." Kankuro says.

"Oh yeah." Naruto replies.

"You said it." I added.

"Look at how many people there are." Lee said in amazement.

"Just what you expect for the Kazekage." Neji added.

"No doubt." Added Tenten. With that, several Sand Nin came running and before long; they were surrounding Kankuro, Gaara and Naruto.

"I'm happy that you're safe." Baki says as he stands before them.

"Hmm, thanks to these people." Gaara tells him.

"Lord Kazekage, your people are waiting to welcome you home." Baki continued. "Come, lead the way."

"No, wait." Gaara says, causing Naruto and Kankuro to stop. "No, not yet." He says as he looks back at Lady Chiyo.

"Let us honor the memory of Lady Chiyo!" Baki says. "A moment of silence!"

We moved out the way and made a path for Lady Chiyo to move first. As they did so, we all stood on the side with our heads lowered, showing her the respect she deserved.

* * *

**Later that same day. Inside Gaara's office:**

"What!? You're leaving already?" Kankuro asks. "You can stay a little longer, come on."

"Kankuro is right. At least a day or two." Temari adds. "You need time to rest."

"Believe me, I wish we could." Naruto says.

"Yeah, but we must report back to Lady Tsuande right away." Sakura explains.

"I see." Temari replied.

"Besides, if the Akatsuki managed to infiltrate the Hidden Sand, I'm worried about the Leaf's safety." Kakashi tells them.

"I understand that you want to get back as soon as possible." Baki says.

"Yes, exactly." Kakashi agrees.

"Even so, in your condition…" Baki started.

"Don't worry. I have comrades I can rely on to get me there." Kakashi assured him.

"He's right about that." Gai agrees.

"By the way, we've already dispatched the preliminary report with Takamaru." Baki says. "But there was no mentioning of the fate of the two Akatsuki members. Wouldn't you want to inform your village?"

"I'll report that news to the Hokage myself." Kakashi replies. "You see… there's something else troubling me."

After leaving the office, we decided to stop by Lady Chiyo's grave before we headed out. Ebizo was already standing there when we arrived. As we stood in a semi circle, we all said our finally farewells to Lady Chiyo. Once we were done, we all left together, including the Sand siblings. However, Naruto, Sakura and I remained there a little longer.

"Sakura! Naruto! Kazumi! We should get going." Lee called out to us.

"Right!" Naruto says as he turns around. "Come on Sakura, it's time to go."

"All right, Lee. We're coming." I added.

When we made it to the entrance of the village, Gaara, Temari and Kankuro were standing in front of us. Gaara and Naruto stood fact to face with each other. As they two finished exchanging words, Gaara swirls sand around Naruto's arm as he raises it. Before long, the two finally shake hands.

* * *

After leaving the Hidden Sand, we were walking along the desert. Kakashi and Gai sensei were trailing behind us. When I glanced back, I could see a somewhat, irritating look on Gai sensei's face. I really couldn't figure out why he had that look but knowing him, something was irritating the hell out of him. He looked like he was ready to explode. I just turned back around and looked forward as I walked beside Naruto.

"Can you two go any faster?" Tenten asks, causing us all to stop and look back.

"Sorry about this Gai." Kakashi says as he chuckles a little. "That new Sharingan really takes a lot out of me. Takes me awhile to get back up to speed."

"Hurry up, will ya!" Tenten yells.

"Uh, Tenten… I don't think your yelling is helping at the moment." I told her as I pointed towards Gai sensei's face expression. We just turned back around and continued moving. But suddenly, we all heard screaming.

"What happened?" Neji asked as we all stopped once again. We turned around to see Kakashi on Gai's back.

"_That's just wrong…_" Naruto thought to himself as he had a uncomfortable look on his face.

"_What the…? Gai! Kakashi…Seriously...? This is beyond embarrassing…_" I thought as I held a deadpanned expression on my face with my eyes narrowed.

"_Grown men playing piggy back… its almost creepy…._" Thought Sakura with a uneasy look as well.

"_Oh brother…_" Thought Tenten with the same look. Neji had the same look as well; however Lee had an interesting look printed on his face.

"I get it! A training exercise!" Lee exclaimed.

"So… you want to see faster?" Gai sensei questioned. "I'll show you faster!" he said as he ran right pass us, picking up dust in the process. "What's wrong slowpokes!? Can't keep up with me!? Let's go!"

"_It looks even weirder when they're in motion._" Sakura added.

"Neji!" Lee says as he kneels down, waiting for Neji to hop on so he could start the training session as well.

"Hell no!" Neji quickly tells him.

"This is so embarrassing… Why must they show how strong their friendship is at a time like this?" I groaned as I face-palmed myself. "That was just so wrong."

* * *

**Hidden Leaf Village:**

Gai continued to run as we got closer to the village gates. And to make things worse, Lee was right behind them. I mean, those two were crazy. We continued to walk while they run like maniac. But I did feel bad for Kakashi. He was hanging off Gai's back like a limp noodle. All right, bad choice of words. Okay, I give up.

"First place!" Gai yells. Izumo and Kotetsu just look at him with weird faces.

"Only second place, but close!"! Lee yells as he stops right next to Gai sensei. Izumo and Kotetsu still had dumbfounded looks.

"What kind of race was that?"Izumo asked.

"I don't know." Kotetsu replies.

"It's clear to me that you need more training, Lee." Gai tells his student.

"You are right. And next time I will try to come in first." Lee says determinedly.

"Well Lee, I hate to break it to ya, but I have some bad news." Gai told him.

"Huh? What would that be Sensei?" Lee asks.

"Just this: you did not come in second." He said as he swirled around. "You finished in… Third place! I have Kakashi on my back… so technically he came in second. You're a lucky guy, Kakashi."

"You have taught me another valuable lesson sensei." Lee says as he writes in his book. "I still have so much to learn."

"I will never get use to their ridiculous level of intensity." Neji told us.

"Still… they got us back to the village pretty dog on fast." Tenten points out.

"Ridiculous." Neji said again. I agreed with Neji asI looked over towards Kakashi's hanging, unconscious form.

"_Oh man, Kakashi doesn't look to good, especially not while he's hanging off Gai's back like that._" I thought. "Uh, Gai sensei." I said quietly.

"Hmm? What is it, Kazumi?" Gai sensei asks as he looks at me.

"Uh, well… as much I hate to _interrupt_ your little life lesson and all…" I say with a small hint of sarcasm. "But, Kakashi…" I stopped and pointed at my brother. "Well, he doesn't look too good. And I really think we should get him to the hospital right away."

"Huh?" He says as he looks back at his best friend. "Yeah. You're right."

With that, me, Naruto, Sakura, and Team Gai left for the hospital immediately. A few minutes later, we were all in the room, waiting to see if Kakashi would wake up any time soon. I was kneeling down at Kakashi's bedside. I had my arms folded as they sat on the edge. Naruto was standing on my right while Sakura stood on his.

"Don't worry; Kazumi-chan. Kakashi sensei will be back on his feet in no time at all." Naruto assured me as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I know." I replied as I looked up at him. "It's just that, he's never gotten this bad before." I added and directed my attention back onto my brother's sleeping form. Suddenly I saw him stir slightly. "Huh?"

"Hey, he's waking up." Naruto suddenly said.

"Huh? So I'm back here again huh?" Kakashi asks quietly.

"Good work, Kakashi. Well done." Lady Tsunade stated as she and Shizune entered the room.

"M' Lady." Sakura says.

"Lady Tsunade." Kakashi says as he tries to sit up, but fails. The sheet that covered his face slightly slipped off.

"No, Kakashi sensei. You mustn't push yourself." Sakura quickly tells him.

"Sakura is right." Lady Tsunade agreed. "I examined you earlier and its going to be some time before you return to duty. Its bed rest for you for at least a week."

"Guess I'm not surprised." Kakashi says quietly. Meanwhile, Naruto was trying his best to get a look at Kakashi's face.

"It seems you need a little more practice before you can master that new Sharingan of yours." Lady Tsunade continued.

"Looks that way." Kakashi agreed. By now, Naruto straighten himself up and found Sakura giving him a pissed off look.

"Anyway, you take it easy for awhile." She tells him. "Team Gai needs rest too. You can file your report later."

"Yes of course, Lady Tsunade." Gai states quickly.

With that, we all left the hospital, with the exception of Kakashi. While Sakura went off to talk to Lady Tsunade, Team Gai went their separate ways, and Naruto just disappeared. So I decided to head home and place my stuff in my room.

* * *

**Normal Point of View: Over on the Hokage Tower**

"Can we trust it? What if it's a trap?" Shizune asked. "With Orochimaru as bait, Akatsuki could be lying in waiting for you at the Tenchi Bridge."

"If it's a trap, then we'll just have to fight it." Sakura says.

"You say you'll fight, but Kakashi will be in that state for at least a week." Tsunade says. "And there's only six days….. I guess I'll have to form a new team…"

"Tsunade-sama….!" Shizune says.

"What?" Tsunade answers.

"In that case, you should send a different team to investigate. Even if we send Sakura like you said…." Shizune explains. "You must leave both Naruto and Kazumi out…!"

"Shizune…. Sakura is like you, one of the few shinobi I can trust." Tsunade tells her. "I am definitely sending Sakura's team, Team Kakashi, on this mission."

"Then wouldn't it be the same if my team went?" questioned Shizune.

"It's not the same…" answered Tsunade.

"Sakura, Naruto and Kazumi….. They are all desperately chasing after their old teammate, Sasuke…." Says Tsunade. "They strongly believe more than anyone in rescuing Sasuke. Those strong feelings will bring the mission to succeed… You and Sakura are different."

"….Understood…." stated Shizune. "But for this mission, Naruto….."

"Well now that you've heard all of it, what do you have to say, Naruto?" Tsunade suddenly says as she looks up.

"I'll tell Kazumi-chan!" He says "And I'll go look for members right away!"

Naruto suddenly jumps down and lands on the bar right beside Tsunade. He nods once and jumps forward once again. Shizune and Sakura both watch as Naruto disappears. Tsunade just stands there smiling with her head slightly tilted towards the ground.

"Heh, always rushing. I hadn't even finished talking." Tsunade says quietly. She soon looks back up at Sakura. "I will find members to fill the gaps left by Kakashi and Sasuke. Tell that to Naruto."

"Right." Sakura answered.

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

"Hey! Kazumi-chan!" I heard Naruto yell. I turned around and looked up to see him hovering in the air, heading towards me.

"Huh? Hey, there you are Naruto." I reply as he lands beside me. "So… You mind telling me where you disappeared to?"

"Well first, I snooped in on Grandma Tsunade, Shizune and Sakura's conversation about our new mission. Then I went to look for a new teammate for our team." He explains. "But while I was talking to Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji, we were attacked. So we all…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on a second, Naruto. A new teammate and a new mission…? What are you talking about?" I asked, sounding a bit confused. "And what do you mean that you, Shikamaru, Ino and Chouji were attacked?"

"Oh. Uh well, I guess I should explain everything first, huh?" Naruto asked.

I just nodded my head, "That would help." I told him.

While Naruto and I walked down the streets of Konoha, he explained to me what he had overheard what Lady Tsunade, Sakura and Lady Shizune were talking about. Apparently the conversation had something to do with our next mission. Sakura had the information but hadn't told us. I figured she wanted to talk to Lady Tsuande first to see what her choice on the matter would be. And knowing Naruto, he would have probably left while we headed back to the Hidden Leaf.

"So Sasori has a spy working under Orochimaru, huh?" I asked. "If that's true, then there's a chance that we could capture this spy. And then maybe…."

"Right. They could lead us straight to Orochimaru and Sasuke." Naruto finished. I turned my head and looked forward, but had it slightly tilted to the ground. Hearing about Orochimaru caused the conversation I had with Tsunade to reemerge.

* * *

_Flashback…._

"_Kazumi, you know that the Ten Tails has been kept a secret from the people of the Hidden Leaf, and also from the other villages as well, right?" Lady Tsunade asked me._

"_Yes, I do." I replied with a nod. "The only people who know about me being the Ten Tails' Jinchuriki are: you, Kakashi, Naruto, Master Jiraiya and Gaara."_

"_Hmm, wait a minute? The Kazekage knows?" she asked._

"_Yes. But there's no need to worry. I know he won't tell anyone else." I assured her. "We promised to keep it a secret between us Jinchuriki."_

"_Right, I see." She said. "Well, we know that the Akatsuki will need all the other Nine Tailed Beasts in order to take the Ten Tails away from you. But it's not just them we have to worry about. Keep in mind that Orochimaru is still after you as well."_

"_Yes, that's right." I agreed. "But Lady Tsunade, what I don't understand is the reason why Orochimaru is after me. I mean, how does he even know about me containing the Ten-Tailed Demon Wolf?" I asked. "You said so yourself that you, as well as the late Third Hokage, kept the existence of the Ten Tails and me being a Jinchuriki a well kept secret, even from the council members, right?"_

"_Hmm? I see. So it would appear that Kakashi hasn't told you anything." she said quietly. "Well… I can't say I'm surprised. Sarutobi sensei must have told him not to tell you."_

"_Huh? What is it, Lady Tsunade?" I asked in a curious tone. "What didn't the Third Hokage didn't want Kakashi to tell me? What didn't he want me to know?"_

"_I suppose you have a right to know now." She tells me as she turns to face me. "Well you see, even though I'm not sure what Orochimaru's true objective is, I do know that it was his doing. He's the one responsible for sealing the Ten-Tailed Wolf inside you."_

"_What!? Orochimaru!?" I said in shock. "How the heck was he even able to find the Ten Tails anyway?" I asked._

"_I'm not sure of that myself. But he was somehow able to find the container in which the beast was sealed within. And he was somehow able to open that container." She explained. "However, you weren't he's primary target. Kakashi was."_

"_Kakashi?" I asked._

"_Yes." She replied. "You know Kakashi has the Sharingan. Well, Orochimaru figured that he could take Kakashi and gain both the Sharingan and the Ten Tailed Beast. However, when he couldn't get his hands on Kakashi, he figured you would be the next best thing. After all, you're the daughter of the White Fang. So he figured you would be just as talented as your older brother when you grew up. However, this also meant he would have to gain the Sharingan another way."_

"_That's the reason why he's after Sasuke's body." I finished. "And if he gets his hands on Sasuke, he'll soon come after me, right?"_

"_Exactly." Lady Tsunade agreed. "He would try to get to you first before the Akatsuki can get a chance to do so."_

"_So he chose me because I was seen as an easier target to get his hands on. I was just an infant and couldn't even defend myself." I said quietly to myself. "Well… all I can say is better me than my brother."_

"_Why is that?" Lady Tsunade asked._

"_Because… What Orochimaru did to me actually helped me, not the other way around." I explained. "He can come and try to take the Ten Tails away from me. Because once I see his ugly face, he'll find himself in for a rude awakening."_

_End of flashback…_

* * *

"_Yeah. He'll be in for a rude awakening all right._" I thought, quoting what I said. "_I wish I sound just as confident as I did back then. I was so naïve back then._"

"Kazumi-chan…? Kazumi-chan, what's wrong?" Naruto asked. But I didn't hear him. When he placed a hand on my shoulder, he snapped me out of my train of thought. "Kazumi-chan?"

"Huh? Oh uh, I'm sorry about that Naruto. I guess I got lost in my thoughts again." I explained as I scratched the back of my head sheepishly.

"Kazumi-chan, what's really bothering you?" he asked. "I know you and I can tell when something has your attention. So what is it?"

"Uh, well... Hmm, you see awhile back, I had a talk with Lady Tsunade and found that Orochimaru was the one responsible for sealing Kiyiya inside me." I explained.

"What? Orochimaru?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah, I know. Shocked the hell out of me too when I first found out." I told him. "That's why he's been after me. But you see, he was actually after Kakashi but decided to come after me since I was an _easier_ target to get his hands on." I explained farther.

"Kazumi-chan, I won't let that bastard get anywhere near you." Naruto assures me. "We'll both stop Orochimaru and we'll save Sasuke during our mission. You can count on me."

"Well of course. I know I can always count on you." I told him. "Thanks a lot Naruto. I really appreciate hearing that from you."

"Anytime, Kazumi-chan." Naruto said happily, pulling me into a hug. I couldn't help but to smile at Naruto and gladly returned the hug. When Naruto released me, and just sent me his big goofy grin, which made me send him a masked smile. A minute later, we proceeded to head down the street.

"_We may have gotten stronger since our first encounter with Orochimaru, but we have to remember that he's known as one of the Legendary Sannin._" I thought privately. "Okay, here's a question for ya." I said, breaking the silence. "Who the hell attacked you and the others?"

"It was some random guy." Naruto answered. "He just appeared out of nowhere. I haven't seen him around here before."

"And you said that he just disappeared after fighting you and the others for awhile?" I asked. Naruto just nodded his head. "That's a bit strange if you ask me."

"Trust me, I thought the same thing." Naruto says. "Whoever that guy was, I just hope that was the last time I see him."

"Well, I hope you're right." I added.

"I don't know." Naruto said unsurely. "He said that we were going to meet again."

"Well if that punk decides to show his face and comes after you again, his going to have to deal with me." I told Naruto. "Anyone who messes with one of us has to deal with all of us."

"Yeah, I agree." Naruto says.

* * *

After a while, Naruto and I started moving towards the rendezvous point Sakura told us to meet up in about an hour or so. When we finally found the location, we looked up head, and could see Sakura was already standing there waiting. But she was the only one there. I suppose our new teammate hadn't arrived yet.

"Sakura!" I called out to her as we approached the building she stood under.

"Kazumi, Naruto, you guys made it." She said.

"This is where we were supposed to meet up, right? Naruto asked.

"Without a doubt." She answered.

"But, no one's here yet." He says. "Geez. Did Granny Tsunade really get new members for our team?"

"It'll be okay." Sakura assured him. "We just got here a little early. There's still some time left before we're supposed to meet up."

"Well, I hope they're not late all the time, like Kakashi sensei." Naruto pointed out.

"We can only wait to find out." I told them.

As we stood there, I suddenly started to hear footsteps. Naruto, Sakura and I all turned around to see someone appearing from the shadows. It was a boy who looked to be around our age. He had short black hair, pale white skin and had a fake smile on his face. He wore black pants, black shinobi shoes and a black shirt with the stomach cut out and with one long sleeve and one short sleeve. He also had a small sword on his right shoulder and his headband tied around his forehead.

"Hello." He greeted.

"Y-You!" Naruto yelled as he pointed a finger at him. "You were the one on the roof earlier!"

"Huh? Wait a minute. This is the guy you were talking about Naruto?" I asked while I turned my attention onto the strange boy.

"Yeah, he's the one." Naruto says. I couldn't help but to narrow my eyes sharply at the newcomer, keeping a very close eye on him.

The boy walked over to our right and then someone else appeared. This time it was a young man. He was taller, had short brown hair, was donning the Jounin uniform and had on headgear that was attached to his headband. To be honest, he looked a little weird along with the boy.

"I'll be acting as Kakashi-san's replacement for this team." he said. "_Looks like it's going to be a tough mission._" He thought.

"Uh, okay. But who are you?" I asked. Naruto continued to glare at the new kid while he just kept that fake smile planted on his face. This kid was definitely weird.

"Naruto, you know him?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah." he said. "He attacked me when I was with Shikamaru's team a little while ago!" Naruto quickly unsheathed a hidden kunai from his jacket sleeve and held it in a ready stance. The boy reacted by grabbing his sword, ready to unsheathe it at a moment's notice.

"Knock it off, Naruto." The Jounin said, causing Naruto to stand out of his stance.

"Hey, excuse me. But I asked you a question." I said as I looked at the man.

"Hey, come to think of it Kazumi's right." Sakura said. "Who are you?"

"Like I said. I am acting as the team's interim captain while Kakashi-san is in the hospital." He said. "You can call me Yamato."

Captain Yamato?" Sakura and I ask. He just nodded his head.

"Since you guys are on the same team, it'll cause a lot of problems if you don't get along." He said as he walked forward.

"The same team…. As him?!" Naruto asked as he gestured to the boy.

The boy released the handle of his sword and placed that damn fake smile back on his face. "I'm sorry about before." He says. "I wanted to know how strong you were, since we're going to be on the same team."

"You didn't have to go that far." Naruto told him as he placed his kunai away.

"Like I said, I was just curious." He says. "And thanks to our little encounter, now I know that you're not packing anything major."

"What was that, you asshole?!" Naruto yelled and tried to go after him but Sakura and I had to hold him back before he could hurt the boy.

"He's our teammate now; don't start a fight with him." Sakura explained. "And you, you're really being a jerk." Sakura told the boy before us.

"Is that so?" He asked Sakura.

"Naruto, try to calm down. Don't let this punk get to you." I told him. "He's not worth it."

"You're not winning any friends when you talk like that." Sakura told the boy.

"Well don't write me off just yet." He replied. "I like everyone. Even ugly bitches like yourself." Everything just froze and went silent in an instant.

"What was that, you asshole?!" Sakura yelled and soon it was Captain Yamato and Naruto trying to hold her back. We all knew Sakura could kill him if she wanted to. She could probably do it in one punch if she wasn't too careful.

"Sakura, like I told Naruto. Don't let this dumbass get to you either." I told her and soon turned my head to look at the boy. "It appears that he absolutely has no manners whatsoever. He doesn't even know how to treat his new teammates."

"Hmm. So says the bitch that hides behind a mask." He says. "What could you possibly be hiding anyway? Are you uglier than your friend there, you silver-haired mutt?"

Once those words exited his mouth, I just stood there with a dumbfounded look on my face. Yamato, Sakura and Naruto all froze as they watched me very carefully. My eyes were locked on the boy before me. I just stared at him in silence. While he looked at me, he kept that stupid fake smile printed on his face the entire time. I soon stopped staring, closed my eyes and calmly took a deep breath.

"Let me explain something to you, asshole." I said in a calm tone through clenched teeth while I kept my eyes close. However my voice was dangerously low. "I'm not one who can keep their cool so easily. I have a very short temper and can lose my patience very quickly. Unfortunately for you, you are just seconds away from making me cross that line. So you need to watch what you say to me and my friends. Understand?"

"Oh really?" he asked. "Well then, I better watch what I say. Right, mongrel?"

"You know what? I tried to be nice. I tried to handle this properly. But it seems that you want to continue being rude." I growled. I snapped my eyes open, narrowing them dangerously at the boy. "So screw the whole proper route! You're dead!"

I reached out for that punk with my left hand, while I used my right to grab a hold the hilt of my sword. But before I could move another inch, Naruto had caught a hold of me. Captain Yamato stood behind him, keeping me from unsheathing my sword. I swear that boy was so lucky that Naruto and Captain Yamato were holding me back. Because if I was just a few inches closer, that bastard would be suffering right now.

"Let me go! I'm gonna slaughter him!" I screamed as I fought against their hold. "Just give me five seconds with the bastard!"

"Hey now, Kazumi. You need to calm down and follow your own advice you gave to Sakura and Naruto moments ago." I heard Captain Yamato tell me.


	8. Team Kakashi Heads Out To Tenchi Bridge

**Sorry for the long wait... But here it is, chapter 8. Enjoy!**

**- Kazumi**

* * *

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter Eight: Team Kakashi Heads Out, Off To Tenchi Bridge_

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

After calming down, in a sense, we all formed up into a line with me standing in between Naruto and Sakura. We all stood there, glaring at the boy. Hell, we were all still steamed about what the bastard said to us. And the boy we all were trying to kill just stood there with that damn fake smile. I mean, did he know any other facial expression at all. This guy was definitely creepy and not in a good way.

"So, uh… Now that the five of us are going to be deployed immediately, maybe we should…" Yamato started as he tapped his headgear with his finger. "Okay look. I don't have time to throw you in a cage so you can get acquainted with each other. So let's go! Introduce yourselves!"

"Hmpf… Naruto Uzumaki." Naruto said as he glared at the boy.

"Kazumi Hatake." I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Sakura Haruno." Sakura said, copying the same look.

"And you can call me Sai." The strange boy said.

"Okay, that's enough introductions for now." Yamato said. "Now, I'll explain our mission. Our objective is to head towards Tenchi Bridge, in order to capture the Akatsuki spy working under Orochimaru. This is also a rare chance for us to obtain information on Orochimaru and Sasuke Uchiha." Naruto, Sakura and I all played very close attention as Yamato explained. We knew that we had to bring back Sasuke, no matter what.

"We'll have a valuable source of information for planning Orochimaru's assassination and Sasuke's retrieval….if we can capture this spy." Yamato said. "Be sure to proceed with caution."

"Yes, sir!" Naruto, Sakura and I exclaimed together.

"Assemble at the main gate in an hour." Yamato added. "We'll depart once you've equipped yourselves." With that said, we all separated. Naruto, Sakura and I decided to walk home together.

"Man, that Sai guy is such an asshole." Naruto mumbled. "Why does he have to be Sasuke's replacement? Team Kakashi was fine with just the four of us."

"Yeah I agree." I said. "That guy only talks a mouth full of trash. I don't like him, not one bit. And if he says something rude again, I'm taking him out."

"That may be true. But don't you guys think that he kind of looks like Sasuke? I mean like, his face, or his voice?" Sakura asks.

"Mm, I don't know about that, Sakura." I replied.

"_**Great. Now she fantasizing that this Sai character is Sasuke. Oh brother. Poor girl, she's finally lost it." Kiyiya thought.**_

"_Kiyiya… you just took the words right out of my mouth._" I thought with a small chuckle.

"Ha! Not one bit!" Naruto growled. "Sasuke's was cooler than- Err, not cooler, but….better!"

"That's true. Sasuke is a little cooler than Sai, isn't he?" Sakura asked Naruto as she smiled.

"Not just a little bit!" Naruto yelled. "Sasuke's way co-b-better!"

"Okay, okay. I think that's enough with comparing the two." I said quietly. "What we need to do is focus our attention on our mission, alright."

"Right." Naruto and Sakura agreed.

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

After making sure I had everything I needed, I threw my backpack over my shoulder and left the apartment. Since I had some time left, I figured I would go pay Nii-chan a quick visit. I just hoped he was awake. I just smiled to myself and quicken my pace. Once at the hospital, I went straight to his room and knocked on the door.

"Enter!" I heard him call out. I quietly opened the door and saw he was still lying in bed. "Hmm? Oh, it's you, Imouto."

"Heh. Glad to see you're awake, again." I said as I entered. "Though, I'm not surprised that you're not sitting up yet. So, how are you feeling this time around?"

"A little better than when I first came in. But like Lady Tsunade said, it will be some time before I'm up walking again." he said as he sent me a smile. I set my bag down and walked over. "I heard that you and the others are about to head out."

"Yeah, we are." I said as I stood at his bedside. "I had some time left before we meet up at the gates, so I figured I would pay you a quick visit before I headed out that way."

"Hmm, well isn't that nice of you." he said. I knew he was smiling. But the smile soon vanished and a serious expression appeared in his opened eye. "Look, Kazumi. I want you to be careful while you're on your mission." He says. "And be sure to watch out for your comrades, especially Naruto."

"There's no need to tell me, I already know." I said in a calm tone. "I'll make sure to keep a very close eye on Naruto."

"And Kazumi… make sure that you don't use _that_ power." Kakashi tells me in a stern but calm tone. "I know you have better control then before, but we both know the damage it can cause, even in a short amount of time."

"I got it. I won't use that power." I assured him. "Besides, I can't keep relying on it anyway. I have to learn to trust in my own."

"Well, that's one way to look at it." He says.

"I mean, what kind of ninja would I be if I continue to rely on someone else's power the entire time?" I asked him with a smirk.

"I guess you're right." He says but I could sense a hint of concern in his voice. I couldn't blame him for feeling that way. While I stood by his bedside, I couldn't help but shake my head slightly. I soon kneeled over and removed my mask to give him a kiss on his forehead.

I straightened up and smiled at him, "Seriously, try not to worry so much, okay. We'll be back before you know it."

"Right," he says assuredly.

"Well, I better head out. I don't want to be late, now do I?" I told him as I replaced my mask. My comment earned me a small chuckle from Kakashi. "I promise I'll be careful. I'll see you later." With that, I grabbed my bag and wave goodbye as I left the room. I quietly closed the door behind me.

* * *

After leaving the hospital, I quickly proceeded towards the main gates of Konoha. In no time at all, I made it with minutes to spare. Pretty soon, Naruto and Sakura appeared. Sai was already here waiting, as was Captain Yamato. While we stood there, it was dead silent. You could feel the tension in the air. We stood side-by-side, unwillingly, in a straight line while Captain Yamato stood before us. No one uttered a single word. Before long, we started moving out. It wasn't too surprising that the beginning of the trip was silent. Naruto spent half the time glaring suspiciously at Sai. I didn't and couldn't blame him for doing so.

"_Hmm, I guess…. He does sort of look like him a little._" Naruto thought.

"What is it?" Sai suddenly asks.

"_He kinda talks the same, too._" He thought.

"Please stop staring at me like that or I'll have to smack you." Sai threatened.

"Every time you open your mouth, you piss me off!" Naruto growled. "_This jerk isn't a bit like Sasuke at all!_"

"It's nothing personal." Sai assured him.

"Yeah, right." Naruto scoffed.

"I'm just portraying myself as the kind of person who says things like that." Sai explained.

"You're… portraying yourself?" I repeated quietly.

"That's what makes it personal!" Naruto yelled. "That settles it! You don't belong on this team!" With that, everyone just came to a complete stop. "You're the biggest asshole I've ever met."

"Hey now, that's no way to act in front of your Captain, is it, Naruto?" Yamato asked. "Trust and teamwork are the most important attributes of a team. I know Kakashi-san taught you that."

"_Yeah, he did._" I thought. "_But it's kind of hard when you have a new teammate who doesn't know how to act around other people._"

"Kakashi-san is a great man, and considering that you're part of his team, your attitude worries me." Yamato added.

"It's because he's not a part of Team Kakashi!" Naruto snapped. "The other member of Team Kakashi…. is Sasuke!"

"This guy was only chosen to fill in the gap Sasuke left." Yamato explained.

"I refuse to accept him as a teammate." Naruto said.

"Well… That suits me just fine." Sai replied "However, Sasuke Uchiha is a traitor. Betraying Konoha….. Running off to serve Orochimaru…. Don't put me in the same group…. as that gutless little homo."

"Y-You Bastard!" Naruto yelled and was about to run forward but I held my arm out in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.

"Naruto, I know that this guy is ticking you off right now, but we do need to put our mission and our teamwork first." I explained to him. "Trust me, I don't like him either. However, if teaming up with someone like Sai will help us accomplish our mission then I can suck it up for the time being."

"You're right, Kazumi. I agree with you." Sakura says as she stands in front of me and Naruto. "Sai, Naruto still doesn't know much about you, and he went too far. I apologize. Please forgive Naruto."

"Sakura?" Naruto said.

"At least those two are serious." Yamato said to himself.

"No problem. Apology accepted." Sai said with a smile.

"Really? Glad to hear it." Sakura said as she gave him a small smile. But suddenly Sakura came forward and clipped Sai right in the face, sending him flying back. "I, on the other hand, don't care if you forgive me."

"Sai, unless you want to be punch like that again, I advise that you don't speak of Uchiha in such a bad manner." I told him. "Not in front of us and especially not in front of Sakura."

"Fair enough. I won't say anything about him in front of you." Sai says as he stands up.

"How can you be so laid-back after getting decked like that?" Naruto asked.

"A smile is the best way to deal with difficult situations." Sai answered. "Even if it's a fake one. Used properly, you can fool anyone with them. I read that in a book. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to work property when I try it."

"Son of a-…" Naruto started.

"**Ninja Art: Four Column Prison!"** Yamato shouted. A large wooden crated appeared right behind Yamato as he stood there.

"What the heck?" I said.

"If you all keep this up, I'll lock you up in this cell." Yamato threatened. "We don't have much time until we reach Tenchi Bridge. But, we can spare some time to stop along the way."

"_Yeah, I like to see him try._" I thought.

"Here's a little proposal for you." Yamato says. "I can either lock you all in this cell for a day to help improve your teamwork, or we can spend the night at a hot springs resort. Which would you prefer? The four of you don't know anything about me either, right? I prefer to handle situations with diplomacy. But I'm not averse to controlling people with fear."

* * *

After agreeing to cooperate with one another, we headed forward and stopped at a hotel/hot springs for the night. There were separate baths, so while the guys spent time with each other, Sakura and I decided to do so as well. We were both leaning against the side, enjoying the hot water while we tried to relax.

"I guess it was a good thing we decided to agree with Captain Yamato, huh?" Sakura asked.

"Well, he really didn't give us much of a choice." I told her. "But I guess it's a small price to pay to be able to relax before an important mission."

"Yeah, you're right." she agreed in relief. "Hey, tell me something. Why do you wear a mask? I mean, you even wear one inside the hot springs."

"I have my reasons." I said with a shrug. "Besides, I've been wearing a mask almost all of my life so I'm use to it."

"Well, can't say I'm a bit surprised to hear that." Sakura tells me. "I mean, after all, you live with Kakashi sensei."

"I can't help it, really." I told her honestly. "My brother is my role model after all. So it's only natural for me that I want to copy him to some extent."

"Yeah. I guess I can understand that." She says as she closes her eyes. "At least you're not late like him or have a plain, lazy, uninterested demeanor like he does."

I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, "Well, I did say to _some_ extent, didn't I." I told her as I close my eyes as well.

"Mind your own business!" we sudden hear Naruto yell. This instantly causes the both of us to snap our eyes wide open and look at each other.

"Was that Naruto?" Sakura asked me as she sat up from the wall.

"Yeah, that was definitely his voice." I told her as I did the same. We both looked back and just stared at the wall that separated the baths.

"Damn it! You're always balls this, balls that! You're so annoying!" He added.

That sudden outburst caused the women, who were in the springs with us, to start laughing and giggling. Sakura and I just turn our heads to look back at each other. Our cheeks were slowly turning a soft shade of pink as we continued to hear the small giggles. Without a word, we both dove into the water, hiding underwater as long as we could.

* * *

**Time Skip no Jutsu:**

Early the next morning, Sai woke up before everyone else and got ready. He picked up his art supplies and notebook and exited through the window. A few minutes later, I finally woke up and got ready as well. When I looked out the window, I spotted Sai and Sakura over by the edge of the stream.

"_Hmm, I guess Sakura is trying._" I thought. After tidying up the room and clothing, I grabbed my bag and proceeded to leave the room.

"Ah. Good morning, Kazumi." Captain Yamato said as he walked down the hall.

"Oh. Good morning, Captain Yamato." I greeted back.

"Kazumi, we're about to head out soon. Naruto should be gathering everyone else up." He tells me.

"Uh, okay." I said quietly. With that, Captain Yamato proceeded to head forward. As soon as he leaves, I made my way outside to where Sakura and Sai were standing.

"Morning Sakura. Sai." I greeted as I walked over.

"Oh. Good morning Kazumi." Sakura greeted back.

"Good morning." Sai says.

"Uh… What are you two up to?" I ask.

"I'm just looking at Sai's artwork. Well, it's more of a drawing actually." Sakura tells me as I walk closer to the two. I looked over Sai's shoulder to see what she was referring to.

"Oh I see. It's an abstract." I told them. "You have some real talent there, Sai." I told him as I gave him a small smile. "Uh, by the way. Have you two seen Naruto anywhere?" I asked. "I haven't seen him since last night."

"Knowing him, he probably overslept." Sakura groaned.

"He was still asleep when I left our room." Sai tells us.

"I'm not asleep." We all hear. We turn to see Naruto standing behind us. "Captain Yamato sent me to gather you guys up. We're about to head out." He adds as he walks over. He soon looks over Sai's shoulder to look at his artwork. "Whatever. That drawing is nothing special."

"Yes, you're right." Sai agrees as he sends Naruto a fake smile. "Just like what's between your legs, right?" That causes Naruto to become embarrassed, making his face turn completely red. Sakura had her mouth covered, trying not to laugh. And I was blushing at what I just heard.

"That's it, I've had it. I hate you! if you got a problem with me pal, then drop that stupid fake smile and tell me straight to my face! Anytime you wanna fight, I'm ready." Naruto exclaims. Sai calmly puts away his sketch pad, causing Naruto to react. "Oh… you wanna go?"

"Problem?" Sai asks Naruto. A few seconds later, he looks back at him. "I have no problem with you. I don't feel anything towards you. Good or bad." Sai adds.

"Huh? You don't feel anything?" I questioned.

"You can go on ahead without me." Sai tells us. "I'll catch up as soon as I finished packing."

"Here, let me help." Sakura says and soon picks up a little book. "This isn't a printed copy is it? Did you draw this too?" she asks as she hands Sai his book.

"Yes." Sai answers.

"Yeah. Do you mind if I take a look at it on the road?" Sakura asks.

"I do actually." He replies. "It's just that I haven't finished it yet. Anyway, I'm sorry, but I don't show it to other people."

"Oh." Sakura says.

"It belongs to my older brother." Sai adds.

* * *

We were able to travel a little farther without constant bickering. Surprisingly, we remained quiet. Naruto didn't even pick fights with Sai; instead he was silently studying him. As we walked down the path, Captain Yamato suddenly came to a stop. He changed directions and entered the nearby woods. Naruto, Sakura, Sai and I had no other choice but to follow him so we could figure out what he was planning.

"Captain Yamato? What are we doing in here?" Sakura asked.

"I'm sure that Lady Tsunade told you, right?" he questioned Sakura.

"Hey. What are you guys talking about?" Naruto asks.

"The information that Sakura got could actually be a trap." Captain Yamato told us when he came to a stop. We looked at him, surprised. "There's a possibility that the Akatsuki are just playing us. Tenchi Bridge could be nothing but an ambush."

"Huh?" Naruto said.

"Naruto. Kazumi. They could be after the two of you." Yamato told us.

"No way." Naruto breathed out quietly.

"Are you sure about that, Captain Yamato?" I asked.

"I don't think it's all that likely, but still… you cannot be too careful." He said as he walked forward. We soon started to follow. "We'll remain hidden until we make it to Tenchi Bridge."

"Right. You got it." Replied Naruto. We continued to move through the woods until we came up to a small opening.

"Well. This spot should do." Captain Yamato said.

"What are you…?" Sakura started.

"All right. Lets pack it in here tonight." He announced.

"Say what!?" Naruto yelled. "If you really want to set up camp, we should backtrack to that cave we pass. It's better than lying in the open out here."

"Okay everyone. Step back." He said as he performed a series of hand signs. **"Wood Style: Four Pillar House Jutsu!"**

While we stood there, the ground before us started moving as wooden pillars jumped out from underneath. We covered our eyes, keeping dirt and debris from getting in them. Once the ground stopped moving, we all looked up to see a large house standing before us. We spotted Captain Yamato sitting on top of the house, on the roof.

"We'll camp here tonight." He called to us.

"Whoa, I don't know. Can you really call this camping?" Sakura asked.

"Would you rather sleep out here?" I asked her. "I bet there are several more of those huge spiders running around the area."

"Uh, on second thought, let's sleep inside." Sakura quickly stated.

* * *

The large house was huge with plenty of space. We all entered one large room and got squared away. Once we were finished, we gathered around in a circle along with Captain Yamato. Now it was time to go over our mission and the possible outcomes that can happen. So we had to pay close attention to the briefing. Sakura started off with talking about Sasori. Describing him the best she could remember to Captain Yamato since he'll be transforming into the deceased Akatsuki member. We soon went over the main purpose of our mission. A simple capture.

"It's the real deal from here on out." he says. "So I'm going to decide our groups now. Sakura and I will make one team. Naruto, Kazumi and Sai will be the other team."

"I'm counting on you two." Sai said to us.

"_Again with that damn fake smiling!_" Naruto thought. "Captain Yamato!"

"Yes, Naruto?" he asked.

"Why? Why are Kazumi and I teamed up with him?" Naruto said as he pointed at Sai but quickly stopped when Captain Yamato gave him that creepy look.

"Is something wrong?" Yamato asked as he sent Naruto that creepy look.

"N-Nothing at all." Naruto said.

"Good to hear." Yamato replied.

"Um, Captain Yamato?" Sakura began.

"What is it?" he said.

"If we're forming teams, I think Naruto, Kazumi and I would work better together." Sakura explained. "We've been working together for a long time, and we know each other's abilities pretty well. "

"You tell him, Sakura." Naruto praised.

"Sakura." Yamato said.

"Yes?" she asked.

"You are the only medical ninja on this team." he said. "And we can't afford to let you get injured, so you're staying with me. You understand, right."

"…Yes." She replied quietly.

"Naruto, don't worry. We're still teamed up, and that's a good thing. But Captain Yamato is right." I told him. "Sakura is the only one on the team with Medical Ninjutsu. If she were to get hurt, we would be in serious trouble if one of us got seriously injured as well."

"Yeah." Naruto said quietly. "I guess I see your point."

"Now then, as Sai said before, we have to assume that this enemy is highly skilled." Yamato said. "Any slip-ups in our teamwork could cost us our lives. I've got plenty to say on that subject, but for now, we'll focus on the mission."

"Yes sir." Said Sakura.

"Got it." Naruto added.

"Understood." I said.

With that, Captain Yamato stood up and approached the door. He cracked it slightly and peeped out to look at the area around us. "We don't know the exact location of Orochimaru's hideout, but that Akatsuki spy should be heading towards the bridge right about now."

* * *

The following day, we made it to the large crevice, which wasn't too far from the bridge itself, and decided to run a small simulation. We all thought it was a good idea, and we had to be ready for anything. However, even with enough practice through a simulation, the real thing could have several different outcomes. But the other reason for the simulation was for Captain Yamato to see our true fighting skills, styles and abilities for himself. The simulation was going as planned, well until Sai tied up Naruto with a wooden dummy of Captain Yamato. And to make matters worse, he ran off, going after Captain Yamato. He left me and Sakura with a tied up Naruto lying on the ground.

"Sai!? Where the hell are you going!?" Naruto yelled. "Get back here! I caught him first damn it! He's right here!"

"Uh, Naruto. That's not Captain Yamato." I told him. Naruto looked down and found it was nothing but a wood clone dummy.

"Sai! Get back here and untie this damn snake!" Naruto yelled.

"Hang on, Naruto. I'll get you out." I told him. I drew my sword as I walked over. I channeled my white chakra and sent it running through the blade. "Okay, now hold still. I don't want to cut you by mistake." I carefully held the blade and placed it between Naruto and the snake. I cautiously turned the blade and sliced through the snake, causing it to revert back into its liquid state. "There. Are you okay, Naruto?" I asked.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." he said. "Thanks."

"No problem." I said as I helped him up.

* * *

"Good job on catching me, Sai." Yamato praised. "_I see. He's a lot better than I imagined. I never thought that they would put this high-level of a shinobi in Team Kakashi. Tsunade-sama certainly had reason to be suspicious._"

"Hey, hey, hey." Naruto said. "Sai, you asshole!"

Sai just glanced at Naruto and soon returned his sights back onto Captain Yamato. "Release." He says, causing the rope to melt away.

"Okay! That does it for the simulation." Yamato told us. With that, Yamato released the jutsu and the fake bridge disappeared.

"You bastard!" Naruto growled as he grabbed his shirt.

"What?" Sai asked.

"Have you ever heard the word "friend"?" Naruto asked him. It was silent but Sai took out a scroll and a paintbrush and began scribbling something down. "I asked you if you've ever heard the word "friend"." Naruto asked again.

"Of course I have." Sai answered as he held up the scroll with the word "Friend" written in kanji. "What about it?"

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" Naruto growled.

"Hey, calm down, Naruto." Sakura said.

"You really need to stop blaming others for your own shortcomings." Sai told him. "If you hadn't fallen for the Captain's obvious trick, he wouldn't have found out that I was really hiding. Thus, it would have made my job of capturing him much easier."

What the hell you mean by that?" Naruto asked.

"Why even bother transforming into me if you're going to reveal yourself immediate by performing one of your own jutsu?" Sai asked him. "It was your fault that the Captain was able to see through our strategy. He wouldn't have used a Substitution Jutsu to escape."

"Well if you knew it was a Substitution, why didn't you break your jutsu right then?" Naruto asked.

"Its impractical to fight and protect someone who has lost his cool." Sai answered. "I choice the best method that would lead to the mission's success." Naruto just released his hold of Sai and walked away.

"I'll tell you something right now!" he growled. "I don't accept you as a comrade or as a member of Team Kakashi. Not now, not ever."

"I'm beginning to get the feeling that this entire thing may not work at all." I heard Captain Yamato say as he held his head.

"I wonder what Sasuke would have done?" Sai suddenly asked, causing Naruto to stop. "Would he have wanted to fight an enemy and cover for you at the same time? After all, you look at him as a comrade, right?"

"_Naruto, don't act on what he's saying. Like Sakura and I said, he doesn't know a damn thing about… Sasuke._" I thought to him. "_Listen, you can beat him up later, but right now we need to focus on the mission._"

"Though how you could call someone who betrayed his own village a comrade is beyond me." Sai added. There was a brief pause of silence before Naruto spoke.

"If it means saving a comrade, I'll do whatever it takes." Naruto replied as he looked back. "Even if that means teaming with you."

Naruto soon walked forward. He stopped by a tree and grabbed his backpack. I soon walked over to him to grab my bag as well. I didn't have to communicate with Naruto to know what he was thinking at that moment. But like he said, the only reason we were working with Sai was that if he could help us bring back Sasuke, then so be it.

"Let's go! What are we waiting for!?" Naruto asked sternly. "If we don't get there by noon tomorrow, this will have been for nothing."

"_With all of this going on, I really hope the mission goes as planned._" I thought.

After leaving the area where we had our simulation, we headed towards the real Tenchi Bridge. As soon as nightfall came, we stopped and decided to pack it in for the night. We weren't too far from the real bridge. We all knew that once noon came tomorrow, that's when the mission begins. We all hoped that it would go as we planned. But we had to ready just in case it didn't.


	9. Kabuto And Orochimaru Appears

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter Nine: Kabuto And Orochimaru Appears, The Kyuubi's Power Unleashed!_

**Normal Point of View:**

Once Team Kakashi made it near the bridge, the team stopped to get themselves ready to start the mission. Sai used his scroll to create small mice to scout the area. That included around the bridge and underneath, especially around the edges of the water. After calling them back, he found that there was no sign of any other Akatsuki members, meaning there was no sign of an ambush.

"Okay. So with that said, we will proceed with the plan." Captain Yamato stated.

"Right." Naruto replied.

"Here, Naruto." Captain Yamato says as he takes out a picture. "Could you take this picture and hold it up in front of me?" Naruto did so and Captain Yamato began performing hand signs. **"Wood Style: Transformation Jutsu!"**

Suddenly, small pillars of wood appeared from the ground and wrapped completely around Captain Yamato. The wood cracked as it formed tighter around him. Soon after, a cloud of smoke surrounded him. Once it disappeared, we found Captain Yamato had transformed into Sasori. Well, he was in his puppet form.

"Well? Did it turn out okay?" Captain Yamato asked Sakura.

"Yeah. You look just like Sasori's puppet, Hiruko." Sakura replied.

"Excellent. Now I have to match the voice." He said. "Let me know when it sounds close to Sasori's."

"Yes, sir." Sakura said. Captain Yamato slowly started changing his voice until he was able to hit the right sound. "Ah! There, you got it! That's Sasori's voice!"

"All right. If you're all ready, shall we begin the operation?" Captain Yamato asks.

"Hold on, your tone is too polite." Sakura pointed out. "Try to sound more, I don't know, way more aggressive or something."

"Oh. Yeah, you're right. I'm supposed to be cranky and irritable. And more than anything, I hate to be kept waiting. We're starting the operation, NOW!" Captain Yamato said, this time matching Sasori's voice and tone exactly.

"Ha! You nailed it! That's exactly how he sounds like!" Naruto said with laughter in his voice.

"Listen up. Our opponents will be on the alert. So I want us to split up." Captain Yamato told them. "We'll have to work as a team. Especially you, Naruto. No one makes a move until I give the signal. Now then… Let's go!"

With that, Captain Yamato and the rest of Team Kakashi scatter. Yamato went one way while the others went the other.

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

While Captain Yamato made his way to the bridge, the others and I made our way to a secure area where we could see the spy and Captain Yamato. I came to a stop at a bush that had a decent view of the bridge. But as I kneeled in that spot. I found that the wind was stirring up. And with the wind blowing strong, that gave us better coverage to allow us to get closer. I motioned the others and slowly proceeded forward. I stopped once more when I kneeled behind a large boulder. At least it was large enough to hide all four of us.

While the others and I took shelter from a distance, we kneeled there patiently as we waited for the spy to appear. Even though we couldn't necessarily hear anything because of the strong wind blowing, at least we could still see. Before long, the spy finally appeared. However, Naruto, Sakura and I were in total shocked when the spy revealed himself to be Kabuto. To be honest, he was the last guy I thought would be the spy.

"What… him again?!" Naruto growled.

"Unbelievable…to think the Akatsuki spy is Kabuto. I thought he was in leagues with Orochimaru…" I growled as well. "This has to be some kind of trick."

* * *

**With Sasori (Yamato) and Kabuto:**

"I have a number of questions," 'Sasori said to Kabuto.

"I don't have much time," Kabuto reminded him, "So please make it short. I'm putting my life on the line by trying to come out here without having Orochimaru notice."

"I want information about the hideout and then Sasuke Uchiha." Sasori said.

Kabuto looked hesitant. "We have a number of hideouts and we switch between them each week in order to evade detection." He answered, and the others could see some truth to that, when you're most wanted you do most well to hide, "Some are of course located in country outside of Sound. Orochimaru's spies have infiltrated them to help us set up bases. Still, our methods of travel take any number of forms and make things difficult…currently we reside in a hideout on a small island in a lake to the North. We will change our location three days from now…Sasuke Uchiha is also on that island."

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

"Damn it. It's so windy I can't hear anything."Naruto said as he cupped his hands behind his ears, trying desperately to hear the conversation.

"You idiot! That's why we were able to get close." Sakura whispered.

"Naruto, the reason we're so close now is because of the wind. It blows our scent and voices away so we won't be detected." I told him. "You have to be patient though. We have to be ready for whenever Captain Yamato gives us the signal."

"Right." Naruto said as he nods his head.

* * *

**Yamato's Point of View:**

"Now about that one task you asked of me, Sasori…" Kabuto said.

Sasori' stalled. "_…not good…I still need to get a few more things out of him…but if I continue this conversation any longer, I'll blow my cover…_"

"Even after his transmigration…" Kabuto continued, not noticing 'Sasori's stalling', "Orochimaru cast a protective Jutsu on the cellular specimen of the leftover corpse… I was unable to perform a data analysis on that specimen."

"I see…" 'Sasori' replied. Kabuto looked at him suspiciously.

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

"What's taking him?" Naruto wondered impatiently, "Why doesn't he just go on ahead with the capture?"

"Because If he rushes then things could end right here…" I answer.

"However if he takes things more carefully than he needs to and ends up arousing suspicion then he'll lose his chance to capture the target." Sai adds.

"Then we have no choice but to trust in the Captain's judgment." Sakura added.

We continued to stay hidden when suddenly our worst fears were realized…

* * *

**Normal Point of View:**

"…on that note, please hand me the item I'm here for. I can't continue to stay here much longer." Kabuto says, holding his hand out to receive the item, "If it's found out that I'm meeting you here like this then I'll be killed."

Yamato knew he couldn't keep the charade up any longer, "Very well…" In a quick movement he caught Kabuto off guard by pulled out a kunai. However before Yamato could strike, Orochimaru appear behind him. He held him back by his snakes.

"Orochimaru!" Naruto and Kazumi gasped.

Kabuto removed his cloak and joined Yamato, "If it weren't for you drawing your kunai, Sasori, I may not have been able to get away in time." He says. Yamato remained silent and nodded his head.

"_I suppose I've at least escaped detection for now…still…now that Orochimaru's here…what should I do?_" Yamato thought.

"What do we do now?" Naruto asked as he turned towards Kazumi, Sakura and Sai.

"All we can do now is sit here and wait for Captain Yamato to give us the signal." Kazumi tells Naruto. Her voice had a slight tremble to it, which she hoped he didn't notice.

"_Kazumi-chan._" Naruto thought.

"_**Calm yourself, pup. You need to keep your mind focused. Don't let his presence intimidate you." Kiyiya tells her. "Don't worry. I won't let him hurt you."**_

"_Y-Yeah, you're right._" Kazumi replied back. "_I can't allow my enemy to see my weaknesses. I have to keep myself calm._" She reminded herself as she took in a couple of deep breaths.

Yamato was at a standstill of his own. It was either fight or flight in this situation, if he fought – he would reveal his fighting style to them, if not… His train of thought was cut off when Kabuto suddenly attacked him, destroying his disguised. Yamato made a hasty retreat wondering how Kabuto possibly saw through his disguise. Orochimaru used his snakes to hold Yamato still, but when one of the snakes went to bite him, it turned into a wood replacement. The real Yamato crouched before them, nursing his wounded arm.

Orochimaru smirked menacingly, "Why don't you call out those four little mice hiding in the brushes behind you?"

"_So he's seen through everything already…_" He raised his hand and gave the signal to the others and they immediately came to his defense.

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

"There's the signal!" Naruto exclaimed. Within seconds, we all jumped from behind the boulder and landed on the bridge before Kabuto and Orochimaru.

Kabuto smirked when he saw the three familiar faces, "So it's you three again."

"Heh hehe…I've seen that face several times…in that case, perhaps I'll play around with you five for a bit. Or I can give you the pleasure of assessing who has gotten stronger…you or Sasuke…" Orochimaru taunted.

Naruto growled furiously while I just narrowed my eyes and remained silent. Orochimaru incites a tempest of rage by using Sasuke's name to taunt us, Naruto especially. While he stood there, I noticed the Nine-Tails' facial features were becoming noticeable on Naruto's face while a cloak of red-orange chakra began to radiate off him.

"…Give Sasuke back…" Naruto demanded.

"There is no giving Sasuke back Naruto." Kabuto replied, "Sasuke came to us of his own free will and it's about time you two got over it."

"Shut up four eyes!" Sakura snapped.

I just narrowed my eyes even more and said, "That's a lie! If Orochimaru never bit Sasuke and gave him that damn curse mark in the first place, he would've never joined you!"

Orochimaru was unfazed by our outbursts. "Well, well, well. If it isn't my little Kazumi-chan. The last time I saw you was three years ago. You and your friends were competing in the Chūnin Exams. Heh, I can tell that you have indeed grown _stronger_." he hissed. "Not just as a ninja, but as a Jinchuriki as well."

"I-I don't belong to you and neither does the Ten Tails." I growled. "I won't let you or the Akatsuki take her away from me. I'll be damned if I allowed that to happen!" That just amused him further.

"Hmm. It seems that someone couldn't keep their mouth shut. Tsunade I presume? Or was it your dear brother?" he asked, knowing I wasn't going to answer him. He just turned his sights back onto Naruto. "And if you want to know about Sasuke…why don't you try forcing it out of me? If you can that is…" he's comment directed to Naruto.

Before anyone could stop him, Naruto lunged out and clawed Orochimaru's face using the Nine-Tailed Fox's abilities. The devastating attack sent Orochimaru hurtling into the nearby forest. His body was knocking over several trees because of the sheer force. Sai had a shocked look on his face, but I just continued to glare. Yamato was growing concerned. He remembered that Kakashi, Jiraiya, and Lady Tsunade warned him and reminded him not to let Naruto get too carried away when he gets into this state.

In his Kyuubi form, he is covered by the chakra that took on the shape of the fox. At first everyone would believe that it seemed to be protecting him but it's actually doing the opposite – it's destroying his body. He didn't see any tails appear yet but according to Jiraiya it has gotten as far as four tails and because it has the potential to go farther that's why he was assigned to the team. He is the only one who possesses the potential to control a Jinchuriki.

"Naruto I see you've developed nicely as a Jinchuriki." Kabuto smirked.

Orochimaru walked back across the bridge with his face peeling from Naruto's last attack, "That explains why you were chosen to watch over him. It would appear my experiments were some help after all. I should think the leaf village would be a bit more appreciative… wouldn't you agree…Yamato?"

Sai, Sakura and I stared at Yamato in confusion. Even Kabuto looked a bit confused as he looked over at Orochimaru, "Just who is this person?" he asked. Orochimaru covered his face with his hand.

"Well, you see, the first Hokage was a shinobi processing the most unique of abilities…his Wood Element Ninjutsu and what's more he was able to bend Bijuu to his own will...oh how I wanted those gifts of his…having obtained data on the first's genome from his remains, I carried out an experiment in which his genetic traits were spliced into the cells of 60 different children. My test subjects, but their bodies didn't seem to like the foreign DNA…to say the least they died by the dozen, one after another..." He moved his hand to reveal his healed face, "And here I thought they'd all share the same fate…to think there was a lone survivor…"

"_Well, that explains why he can use the first Hokage's Ninjutsu…_" Sakura thought.

"Well, then, it seems you'll be able to get your hands on what one might call a long overdue research sample." Kabuto tells him.

Orochimaru chuckled, "Yes…but before that, I would like to see our Sasuke fight the Kyuubi boy once. I wonder which has gotten stronger…" He trailed off when he noticed Naruto's chakra had spiked even higher.

Naruto's chakra increased to the point where two more tails joined the other one. "Sasuke isn't yours…!" He growled demonically. "Don't you dare talk of Sasuke like he belongs you!" His burning hot chakra was practically blowing off of him, pushing us back slightly from its intensity.

"_Oh no, Naruto. The Kyuubi is starting to take control._" I thought. "_If this keeps up, it won't be long before….._"

"_This is the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox?_'" Sai wondered almost worriedly, it was something he had never felt before, not even in his years in ANBU.

It was foolish of Kabuto to try to attack Naruto from behind. Naruto had felt Kabuto approaching him with his heighten senses and used his chakra to literally blow Kabuto away as well as the bridge. When Kabuto flew back, he struck Sakura, in which causing her to hit the back of her head in the process, knocking her out. As the bridge began to crumble, I quickly grabbed a hold of Sakura and jumped over to safety. The others managed to steady themselves from the powerful force but the bridge was giving away under them, even with Yamato using his wood technique to keep the remaining bridge as stable as possible.

Naruto went straight after Orochimaru when he saw that he was trying to escape. In the midst of the confusion, Sai created a bird and took off. When Captain Yamato, Sakura and I landed safely on the other side of the bridge. Captain Yamato and I didn't miss seeing Sai flying overhead. We assumed he was going to either land near us or assist Naruto but we were surprised to see him continuing to move ahead.

"Where the heck is he going?" I asked in confusion. Before long, Sakura regained consciousness and was slowly picking herself up.

"Huh? What happened?" she asked.

"Sai just took off, that's what happened." I answered. "That bastard. I had a feeling we couldn't trust him."

"We'll worry about him later…" Yamato said as he looked over the treetops to see Naruto's chakra spiking. "Right now we have to stop Naruto."

While we sat there, Captain Yamato had a clone over where Naruto and Orochimaru were fighting. Captain Yamato's clone found Naruto glaring at the snake. As he stood in a tree, he saw Naruto in a new transformation. He was on all fours much like the nine-tailed fox. But this time, he stood there with four tails. From where Sakura and I were sitting, I could feel the Kyuubi's power. I knew this was going to get worse before anything gets better.

"Captain Yamato. Can you please tell me what's going on?" I asked. "Is Naruto all right?"

"Naruto… he's surrounded by the Nine Tails' chakra. And there are four tails present." He explained. "The chakra, the cloak, has him completely covered."

"Oh no, Naruto." I said quietly. "_This is bad, extremely bad. If there are four tails present… I don't know if Naruto can control that form or not. Ugh, damn it, Kurama_." I thought.

"What's happen to Naruto?" Sakura asked. I just looked at her in silence. I guess I had no other choice but to explain it to her.

"The Nine Tail's chakra is being released because of Naruto's anger." I explained. "Because Orochimaru was taunting him with Sasuke, it only added fuel to the fire. And at this very moment, Naruto is fighting that damn snake."

"What!?" She exclaimed. "Then we need to go help him. We know Orochimaru is a powerful opponent. He shouldn't be fighting him alone."

"No." I told her with a shake of my head. "You can't go out there Sakura. If you do, you'll be killed. With Naruto in the state he's in at the moment, I don't believe he can distinguish his allies from his enemies. All he knows now is to attack."

* * *

**Normal Point of View:**

Yamato studied the fox like Naruto below him. "_The leaked chakra is seeking equilibrium by getting closer to the Kyuubi shape. Inside it, Naruto's body is only the medium…but the leaked chakra is different than before in both nature and shape…the wickedness is stronger than before…usually if that much chakra would be inside the body…how can he move it?_" His eyes narrowed. _"Naruto…what the hell are you?_"

While Yamato, Sakura and I remained at the destroyed bridge, Naruto suddenly unleashed a powerful burst out of his mouth; in midst of the blast his original attack was aimed at Orochimaru. Orochimaru countered by summoning the Triple Demon Gates to shield him from the blast, but as powerful as they looked they were destroyed by the blast, narrowly shielding Orochimaru from it. Once the blast disappeared, the gates were gone Orochimaru was struck in the ground, head first. When he freed himself, he shot his sword right at Naruto, sending him crashing near the bridge. Sakura and Kazumi quickly look back to see Naruto in the rubble.

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

"Naruto!" I yelled. "_I-I need to do something._" I thought but I quickly remembered promising Nii-san that I wouldn't use that power. "_Damn it. What can I do?_"

When the smoke cleared, Sakura and I spotted Naruto inside a crater as the sword stabbed him. But surprisingly the sword wasn't doing so. Because of the cloak, it kept the sword from piercing Naruto and from inflicting any damage. But even so, I knew that the cloak was doing more harm than anything. I had too many experiences with it myself and knew what it could do. Before long, the sword retracted, leaving Naruto inside the crater. But before I could move to help Naruto, Sakura suddenly gets back to her feet and starts moving.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she ran forward, heading right for Naruto.

"Sakura! Stay away from Naruto!" Yamato yelled.

"_Damn it, Sakura!_" I thought. I quickly jumped to my feet and rushed after her. "_If she really thinks that this is going to help Naruto, she's wrong._"

"Kazumi! Stop!" Yamato yelled.

I ignored Captain Yamato's orders and continued running after Sakura. Things were getting worse by the second. I thought about using that power but then another thought came up. If I lost control as well, then the danger would definitely increase, making the situation ten-times worse than what it already was. And we really didn't need two Jinchuriki rampaging, destroying everything in sight.

"Enough! That's enough!" she cried as tears flowed freely down her face. "I'll save Sasuke for you! So please... Naruto, please stop!" she finally stops running and just stands there staring at Naruto. "Naruto..." She says quietly.

Naruto turned his head and stared right back at Sakura. Suddenly Naruto brings one of his four tails forward and aims right for Sakura. Meanwhile, Captain Yamato began making hand signs but he had a feeling that he wasn't going to make it in time. Before either Captain Yamato or I could get to them, Naruto's tail struck Sakura. His tail struck her arm and sent her flying back. While she lies there, Naruto coils his tail back and brings it forward, aiming to hit her once more.

"No! Naruto, stop!" I yelled as I ran. I jumped over Sakura and landed right in front of her, standing right in the path his tail was moving. "Naruto, enough! That's enough!"

I just stood there with my arms extended out, protecting Sakura from another attack. His tail continues to move, heading right towards me. But as soon as Naruto and I make eye contact, his tail came to an abrupt stop. His red chakra covered tail was just inches away from my face. But during the whole ordeal, I kept my eyes on Naruto, not attempting to look away.

"Naruto, that's enough." I said quietly. "You need to calm down."

While Naruto was looking at me, Captain Yamato used his Wood Style Jutsu to wrap pillars around Naruto. However, even with the restraints, Naruto was slowly breaking free from them. Seeing that the restraints could give away at any given moment, Captain Yamato rushed forward, performing a series of hands signs as he did so.

"**Hokage Style: Submission Technique!"** he yelled as he placed his hand out with the word "seat" written in kanji on his palm. **"Kakuan's Return to Humanity!"**

Yamato placed his hand on Naruto's chest, causing a greenish glow appeared seconds later. When Yamato jumped away, he held a stream of blue chakra in his hand. Yamato soon created spiked pillars that surrounded Naruto. As Captain Yamato slowly began to pull back, Naruto was howling in agony. Slowly, the cloak began to retract, freeing Naruto. But as the process continued, I saw just how bad the cloak had damaged his body. His skin was badly burned and only small sections that were untouched.

"Sakura." I said as I turned around and kneeled down beside her. I saw her open her eyes halfway and look up at me.

"Kazumi." She says in a quiet and weak tone.

"Hey. Are you all right?" I asked as I helped her sit up.

"Other than the lingering pain in my arm, I'm fine." She assured me. I nodded and slowly helped her to her feet.

I glanced at her arm and saw the claw markings Naruto's tail caused. If it wasn't for Kabuto, that injury would have looked a lot worse than it did now. I guess his medical Ninjutsu was indeed impressive. It was no wonder Orochimaru needed him. But still, the only reason he helped us out in the first place was that he wanted us to eliminate as many Akatsuki members we could. Well, what did I expect from a group that hangs around with a demon snake? When I glanced back towards Captain Yamato and Naruto, I found that Naruto was finally back to his old self. Just as he was about to fall over, I quickly rushed forward and caught him. I carefully moved him out of the crater and sat him down beside Sakura.

"Do… do you think you can help him, Sakura?" I asked as I looked at her.

"Don't worry. Leave it to me." She says.

She holds her hands over Naruto's chest and a green aura appeared around them. Seconds later, we saw Naruto's skin healing. Relief flowed through me as I watched Sakura continue using her medical ninjutsu. But I couldn't help but feel a little pissed because of Kurama. I know he could have tried to keep his chakra sealed, but he's only thought was to escape. While I sat there, I notice Naruto was starting to stir.

"How is he, Sakura?" I asked her.

"He should be fine." She told me. "I was able to heal his injuries."

"What about you? How's your arm doing?" I added.

"Don't worry, I'm doing alright." She assures me. "The pain is barely noticeable."

"Okay. If you're sure." I told her, but I had my doubts. I knew she was in pain; she just didn't want to show it.

When I turned my attention back onto Naruto, I saw that he was starting to regain consciousness. Before long, he opened his eyes. His cerulean blue eyes glanced around a bit then landed on Sakura and myself. I looked at Naruto with a concerned look on my face but I was glad that he was finally awake. And thanks to Sakura, Naruto's body was healed.

"Huh? Kazumi…? Sakura…?" Naruto says quietly.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaims as tears of joy slowly fell from her eyes. I couldn't help but to smile at Naruto and lunged out to hug him.

"Whoa!" Naruto says in surprised, obviously caused by my sudden action of hugging him.

"Thank goodness you're alright, Naruto." I whispered. "_You really had me worried there, you knucklehead._" I thought to myself. I released him and sat back on my knees, sitting beside him.

"Huh? What happened to me?" he asks. "I was going after Orochimaru, and then…. And then… what did I do? Huh? Sakura, why are you crying?"

"Oh, there's just something in my eye." She tells him.

"I know, it was that asshole Sai!" Naruto yelled as he jumped to his feet. "He said something mean and hurt your feelings again, didn't he?! Like ugly bitch or freak of nature."

"Uh, Naruto…." I tried to warn him.

"That jerk!" he yelled.

"Sai never called me a freak of nature…." Sakura told him as she got to her feet. "But apparently you just did."

"Oh? R-Really?" Naruto asks.

"Don't make up new insults, you jerk!" Sakura told him and suddenly punches him in the stomach a little.

"Really, Sakura? Was that necessary?" I asked as I looked at her out the corners of my eyes. "I mean, he's just regained consciousness."

"Well the moment called for it." She told me. I just rolled my eyes. "Actually… Captain Yamato, where is Sai?" She asks; quickly back to her normal demeanor. Talk about bipolar.

"Right now Sai is headed somewhere together with Orochimaru." He explains.

"Together?!" Sakura questioned. Yamato just nodded his head. "What do you mean?"

"You three come with me." he said.

With that, Yamato started walking off. Sakura, Naruto and I immediately started following him. We made our way back to the area where Naruto was fighting Orochimaru. I watched as Naruto looked around, probably wondering what happened here.

"The ground is still soft." He says as he kicks the dirt. "And the bridge is trashed. What the hell happened….that messed this area up so bad."

"You don't remember?" Yamato asked. Naruto just scratched his cheek as he thought about it for a minute.

"Now that I think about it, why was I unconscious?" Naruto asks.

"Orochimaru knocked you out." Sakura answered.

"For real? Damn it!" Naruto yelled. With that, Sakura walked over and picked up a book from the ground.

"Sai's things are all over the place." She says. "But I can't believe he left his book. This picture book was supposed to be important to Sai. I can't believe he didn't take it."

"He must have been pretty tense while speaking with Orochimaru." Yamato says.

"You sound as if you were watching him." Sakura says.

"Up until a minute ago I had a Wood Clone over here." he explains. "We were communicating through a walkie-talkie I have in here." He says as he taps his headpiece.

"What happened to Sai?" Sakura asks.

"After talking with Orochimaru about something, the two of them left together with Kabuto." He says.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asks. "What were they discussing?"

"He couldn't quite catch what they were saying." Yamato answered.

"I wonder what they were talking about…." Naruto says as he places a hand on his chin in a thinking manner.

"He may have threatened and force Sai to go with them." Sakura says.

"No, it didn't look like that." Yamato says. "He approached Orochimaru on his own and handed him something. It looked like he was trying to gain Orochimaru's favor."

"W-Wait a second!" Naruto yells. "He may be a complete dick, but there's no way he'd betray us!"

"No, he might." Sakura says.

"Huh?" Naruto says. "Sakura, you can't be…."

"She's right, Naruto." I said.

"Captain Yamato, do you know anything about Danzo?" Sakura asks.

"I do." he answers.

"Who is he?" Naruto asks.

"He's a hawkish man who once opposed the Third Hokage." Yamato explains.

"He's an old man. Sai's superior, and he doesn't think well of the Third." Sakura adds.

"Danzo may be using Sai as a means of pulling something off." Yamato continues. "There's a possibility that Danzo gave Sai….a top-secret mission that differs from our own mission."

"So you're saying he used us and our mission to get close to Orochimaru?!" Naruto asks.

"That's what it sounds like." I said.

"This might be unfounded speculation, but please keep in mind as you listen that it's not wholly impossible." Yamato says. "Danzo….may be trying to destroy Konoha as we know it."

"_Another attack on Konoha. The last time that happened, we lost the Third Hokage and several shinobi._" I thought. "_If a second one occurs, who knows who we may lose next? And if Danzo is truly working with Orochimaru, the information he has will definitely destroy Konoha. From the inside out._"

"_**Don't worry, pup. I'll be by your side no matter what. We will stop this from happening." Kiyiya told me.**_

"_Yeah._" I replied. "_But I can't help but think about this. Orochimaru nearly succeeded last time. We need to do whatever it takes to stop him and the one named Danzo._"

"I'm afraid that we may have to do something about Sai." Captain Yamato told us.

"You don't mean…?" Sakura started. Captain Yamato just slightly nods his head in agreement.

"_We may have to…_" I thought.

"…_eliminate…_" Naruto thought.

"…_Sai._" Sakura finished.

"But we can't. Just like that?" Sakura asked.

"My clone is still following him." Captain Yamato assured us. "But we have no idea what might happen. We have to get on their trail right away."

"But…" Sakura started.

"All right! Now you're talking!" Naruto said as he stretched his arms. "Let's get going!"

But just as Naruto began stretching his arms, I saw his eyes glaze over slightly. Before long, he began to fall over. I was able to catch him, keeping him from striking the ground. I carefully turned him over and held him in my arms. As I did so, Sakura quickly ran over and kneeled beside us. Naruto was breathing hard, with beads of sweat sliding down his face.

"_Sakura may have healed Naruto's external injuries, but he's body hasn't fully recovered yet._" I thought. "I can't say _I'm not surprised though. This is what happens when we call forth our Tailed Beasts' chakra._"

"Captain Yamato." Sakura said.

"Sakura, there's no time." He told her.

"I know we need to catch up with them as fast as possible, but he's…" she started. "It's just… in Naruto's condition, we should…"

"Then we'll just have to leave him behind." Captain Yamato said.

"_Leave him? How could he suggest such a thing._" I thought.

"He's a liability now." he continued. "Although, he probably has enough strength to make it back to the village."

"Leave him behind…? He's a liability…?" I said quietly. "Kakashi would never talk like that!" I yelled. "How could you even say that?! We don't abandon our teammates! We never have, we never will, and we won't start now!"

"Kazumi…" I heard Naruto say as he caught a hold of my wrist. "It's okay. Let's go. I'll be all right." Naruto said in between breaths.

"Uh… Are you sure, Naruto?" I asked.

"I can keep up with ya." He said quietly with a smirk on his face. But suddenly he cringes in pain.

"Naruto." I said. "_Why must you always push yourself?_" I thought as I watched Naruto began to pull himself up. I carefully stayed close, just in case he was going to fall over again.

"Kazumi…I think I understand what you're saying." Captain Yamato said. "I've worked alongside Kakashi before in the ANBU Black Ops. So I know the kind of person he is. And I know that I'm filling in for him on this team. But Kakashi and I are quite different."

"_Yeah, I can see that. You're nothing like my brother._" I thought to myself.

"Sorry, but I can't watch over you like him." He continued. "I can't laugh and say I will never let you get hurt. You're no longer ninja in training that need to be shielded from danger. You're Shinobi that need to surpass Kakashi and bare the Leaf on your shoulders. We can't afford compassion. If we stop now, we'll fail. If we don't chase after them now, then we'll never catch up to Orochimaru. With Orochimaru, there is no second chance."

"Okay." Sakura said.

"We can't waste anymore time. Naruto, are you strong enough?" Yamato asks.

"Always am." He says he struggles back to his feet. He stumbled back but was able to catch himself. "All right, let's do it." He almost lost his footing again, but he caught himself.

"Naruto!" Sakura and I exclaimed.

"It's okay." He assured us as he straightens himself up. "If I go back to the village, then everything we've done would have been for nothing."

"Well… all right then. But if you cause any delay, we'll leave you behind." Captain Yamato told Naruto. "You understand that, don't you, Naruto?"

"You bet!" he replied.

"Then let's move." He says and jumps forward.


	10. Infiltrating The Den of The Snake

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter Ten: Infiltrating The Den of The Snake, The Search For Sai and Sasuke_

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

We were jumping through the treetops as we followed Captain Yamato. I was positioned between them and made sure I kept a close eye on the both of them. One, I knew Naruto had completely healed from his recent transformation. And two, I had a feeling that Sakura was still suffering from the effects of the Nine Tails' chakra as well. As we moved, Naruto nearly jumped into a branch, but lucky he was able to recover. However, when Sakura swung from a branch, she used her bad arm and lost her grip. Before she could hit the ground below, Captain Yamato was able to catch her.

"Sakura." Naruto said as we stood there in front of her and Captain Yamato.

She was breathing heavily, so Captain Yamato walked over to a nearby tree and sat her down so she could catch her breath. Naruto was on his hands and knees as he looked at Sakura. Captain Yamato was on her left while I stood on her right. I saw that the injury on her arm hadn't completely heal. And to be honest, it was going to take some time before it did. Both Naruto and Sakura were still suffering from the Nine Tails chakra. This wasn't good at all.

"Hey, Sakura…" Naruto said quietly. When Sakura moved, she instantly cringed up in pain. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you alright? What's that wound from?"

"Oh. This was…" Sakura stared. She stops, carefully thinking about what to tell him. "Um… These are injuries from Orochimaru. It's okay though, it doesn't really hurt. I'll be fine in a sec."

"Well, alright." Naruto replies. "Just don't push yourself to hard, okay."

"Yeah." She says quietly.

"_Sakura. You may can fool Naruto, but I can see right though you._" I thought to myself. "_I know from experience what chakra from Tailed Beasts can do to me and Naruto. And it's even worse for someone who isn't a Jinchuriki._"

"Let's take a little break." Captain Yamato suggests as he returns back to his feet. "Sakura is our team's only medical ninja. If she's not well, it can jeopardize the whole mission."

"I said I'm fine." Sakura quickly tells him. "If we don't hurry, they might get away." She added and soon cringes in pain when she moved her arm. "Captain. What about what you said before?"

"You're right, I did say that, Sakura." He tells her. "But we can't afford being too hasty. After all, haste makes waste. I mean there's a big difference between hurrying and just being reckless."

"I agree with Captain Yamato." I say quietly.

"Yeah, me too." Naruto adds. "Captain Yamato is right. You're just too important." Naruto tells her. "You're the only medical ninja on the team. Not to mention your strength. You're a monster." That last comment just caused Sakura to glare at him. "You're a key part of this mission."

"Can't you flatter me without calling me a monster!?" Sakura yells.

"But, I was just…" Naruto tried to explain.

"I don't want to hear it!" She snapped.

"Sorry! I was just… Okay, okay, stop, I apologize." Naruto tells her as he waves his arms in a surrendering manner.

"Hey, Naruto." Captain Yamato says, catching his attention. "Since Sai is not with us, you will be my partner when we get into battle. Kazumi, you will be Sakura's partner."

"Uh, understood." I reply.

"Come on. We should coordinate our attack strategies while we have the time." He adds. "Shall we?"

"Hmm. Yeah, that's a good idea." Naruto agrees.

With that, Naruto gets to his feet and the two walk off to discuss things. As they left, I walked over and took a seat next to Sakura. I saw her place her hand over the injury, causing the same greenish glow from before to reappear. As she tried to heal the wound, she grunted in pain and lowered her head down. I knew she was in horrible pain and was only putting on a brave face for Naruto. I just hoped she'll be alright.

While Naruto and Captain Yamato continued to strategize, Sakura finished attempting to heal her arm. I heard her moving and opened one eye to look at her out of my peripheral. She was searching through Sai's pouch. Seconds later, she pulled out a small book with a young boy on the cover. I quickly recognized the book. It was the same one Sai had back at the hotel. I thought that he would have that with him since he wouldn't let anyone look at it. She took the book and slightly opened it, flipping the pages. She finally opened the book and began to look.

"Huh? I don't get it." Sakura says quietly. "This book."

"Sakura. Do you really think you should be looking at that?" I ask her. "I remember Sai saying that he doesn't show it to anyone."

"I know. But I thought that maybe…" she started.

"Hmm. What is it?" I ask. Sakura just turns her head and looks over to where Naruto and Captain Yamato's were talking.

"Hey, you guys! Come here a minute!" She yells to them. "Hurry. You need to see this!"

"What is it, Sakura?" Naruto asks. "Is something wrong?"

"Look at this." She says.

"Hey! That's Sai's" Naruto pointed out.

"That's the picture book we found." Captain Yamato added. "The one that he drew, right? What's it about, Sakura? Can you tell? If we figure it out, we may learn something about Sai."

"I know. That's what I was thinking." She says. "So I tried to read it, but…"

"Well? What's it about?" Naruto asks. "What kind of story is it?" Sakura just shakes her head.

"Actually. I'm not all that sure." Sakura answers.

After looking through the book, we found that it was about two brothers taking down their enemies and claiming their weapons and armor. However, once we reached the end of the book, we found that there was a blank page, indicating the book was unfinished. Once we rested for a few minutes later, we finally got back moving.

After moving for some time, we ran across a river, still following Orochimaru's trail. It was faint, but I could still trace Sai's scent. Before long, we arrived in a barren wasteland. There was nothing but rock formations. As we got closer, we found someone standing there waiting for us. Once we were right on them, we noticed it was a clone of Captain Yamato.

"Is this the place?" The real Yamato asked.

"The entrance is straight ahead. Hidden under that rock formation." The clone instructed.

"Could it be after all this time that, that we've finally found him?" Naruto asked himself quietly. "Sasuke's there."

"Yeah. It's a definite possibility." Sakura replied.

"Well, there's no turning back now." I added.

"At the very least, we should be able to find a clue to his whereabouts." Captain Yamato told us.

"Right. Let's get on with it." Naruto said as he proceeded forward. However, Captain Yamato held out his arm in front of him, causing him to stop.

"Hold it. Not so fast." He told Naruto. He suddenly places his hand on the clone and begins to summoning back into its seed form. "First, you need to swallow this, Naruto." He says as he holds it out towards him.

"Huh?" Naruto, Sakura and I gasped together.

"You don't have to worry. It's perfectly safe, I assure you." He told him. He holds out his other hand, holding two more seeds. "Sakura, Kazumi. You too. Now that even if we should get separated, I'll know where you guys are and can find you."

"Seriously?" Naruto asks.

"Because of this?" Sakura asks.

"Seems a little unbelievable if you ask me." I added.

"What is it?" Sakura asks as she holds it.

"Those seeds are a type of transmitter. Specific for tracking a person's movement." He explains as he hands one to me and Naruto. "It's a ninja tool that's only able to work off my chakra. I planted one in Sai's clothing and in his food."

"In his clothing and in his food?" Naruto repeated.

"I see. So that's how you were tracking him." I said. "_Hmm, this is a nice little tool._" I thought to myself.

"But wait. When did you do this?" Naruto asks.

"Back at the Hot Springs." Captain Yamato answers. "Do you remember how I was the first to get out of the water."

"Uh, yeah. I think so." Naruto responds. "Yeah I remember now. You got out and went inside."

"You see, for treating you guys to the hot springs and meal at my expense…" he started.

"Wasn't really for a boost of moral and team spirit." Sakura finished.

"Lady Tsunade had warned me about Sai." He continued. "She asked me to keep an eye on him. As it turns out, she had every right to feel concerned. It was a good thing I heeded Lady Tsunade's warning. Enough of that. Go on ahead and swallow them."

"Okay. If you say they're safe, then I have no choice but to believe you." I say, still a little wary. I popped the seed into my mouth and swallow. Naruto and Sakura followed suit and swallowed their seeds as well.

"All right. If you three are ready, then let's go." He said as he turns around.

"Yes sir!" we all exclaimed together.

With that, Captain Yamato used his Earth Style Jutsu to create a hole in the ground right in front of him. Once completed, Captain Yamato soon jumps down, disappearing into the darkness. A few seconds later, we heard Captain Yamato give us the signal, which was a simple whistle.

"Alright Naruto. Kazumi. This is it." Sakura tells us.

"Right." I reply.

"Then let's do it." Naruto added. With that, Sakura jumps down and disappears into the darkness of the hole as well.

"Naruto, are you ready for this?" I ask him.

"Yeah, I am." He answers. "We will bring Sasuke back, no matter what. We are just too close to give up now."

"Yeah, you're right." I say, giving him a slight nod. I soon heard Captain Yamato whistle again. "I'll see you down there."

I jumped down and seconds later, I landed on the ground. I moved off to the side and stood next to Sakura. Captain Yamato gave the signal once more and seconds later Naruto appeared. With everyone together, we quietly began moving, following the plan Captain Yamato strategized before we jumped down. We came to a stop as he scanned the wall.

"As I feared. The hideout is surrounded by a wall of rock." He tells us.

"Ugh, what of it. I can take that thing down with one blast from my Rasengan." Naruto replies back.

"Uh, wait a minute." Sakura says as she looks at him. "They'll know we're here the minute you let loose with a Jutsu like that."

"This infiltration has to be done quietly." Captain Yamato adds.

"Then what are we going to do?" Naruto asks.

"Here," Captain Yamato says as he uses his Wood Style Jutsu to pierce through the wall. "The more solid the rock, the less force need be applied to a small crack. And… there, you see. Like that."

"Awesome." Naruto says as he looks at the newly formed hole.

"Now, we all need to be very careful to limit our use of chakra from this point forward." Captain Yamato tells us. "We don't want Orochimaru sensing our presence. Okay, let's go."

"_Well… so far so good._" I thought.

"First, we need to find Sai." Captain Yamato says. "He's this way."

* * *

After moving through the maze –like hideout, we approached another door. With Captain Yamato's Wood Style, we were able to pick the lock. Slowly and carefully he opens the large wooden door and peeps inside. There, he spots Sai standing before a small table inside the small room. The light from the candle casting his shadow on the far wall.

"I had a hunch we would find you here." Captain Yamato says. He enters the room first, followed by Naruto, Sakura and me.

"I expected no less from the Hokage's ANBU Black Ops." Sai tells him. "I take it that that fake body didn't fool you then."

"Start talking. What's going on here?" Captain Yamato asks him.

"Spill it, you jerk!" Naruto yells as he steps forward and catches Sai by his shirt. "Why would you betray your own teammates?"

"If I were you, I take care not to make too much commotion." Sai tells him. "Things could turn quite ugly."

"I'm gonna knock your-" Naruto started.

"Naruto!" Sakura says, stopping him. Naruto just lets him go and turns away. "Here, Sai. Take this." Sakura says as she hands him his book. "It's yours, isn't it?"

"Thank you." He says as he takes the book.

"You were under orders from Danzo. Isn't that right?" She asks. "We know that Danzo and Orochimaru have teamed up and we know that they are planning something big. You were chosen to be Danzo and Orochimaru go between."

"We want to know what they are planning. So you might as well spit it out, Sai." I added.

"Orochimaru is easy to read. We know he wants to destroy the Hidden Leaf again." Captain Yamato says. "Isn't that right?"

"No, that's not…" Sai started.

"Would you stop it with the damn fake smiling. I can tell that what you're saying is nothing but a bunch of crap!" Naruto yelled.

We stood there for quite some time, getting a complete explanation from Sai. We learned what his true objective was and why he was chosen to be the go between guy for Danzo and Orochimaru. We also found that it was Danzo who really wanted to gain control over the Hidden Leaf Village. Once all the talking was over, Captain Yamato used his Wood Style Jutsu and restrained Sai just like he had done to Naruto. We soon escaped and returned back to the surface.

* * *

**Time-skip no Jutsu, Inside Orochimaru's Hideout:**

After our fight with Kabuto, Sai rejoining our side and we infiltrated Orochimaru's hideout once more. We stared together for some time, but soon Captain Yamato separated us up into two teams. He and Sakura was one team while Naruto, Sai and I were the other. Once that was completed, we headed into different directions. With this plan, we were hoping to find Sasuke inside one of the rooms much faster than if we were together. Kabuto warned us that there are several inside, but that didn't stop us. Yamato and Sakura went one way while Sai, Naruto and I looked in the other. As we searched room after room, Naruto trips and falls to the ground. I knew that he was pushing himself hard. He hadn't completely healed from his Nine Tails transformation. But with Sai's help, we moved Naruto to the side of the wall.

After sitting there, talking amongst each other, Naruto and I were surprised that Sai had opened up to us. He was so comfortable that he even talked to us about his brother. And while we sat there, he was able to finish his picture book. The final page was of him and his brother. Standing together, looking happy at what they achieved together. Suddenly, we all started hearing footsteps approaching us. We looked to our right to see none other than Orochimaru.

"Well then, Sai. It's time for you to chose whose side you'll be on." Orochimaru stated. We jumped to our feet and stared down the damn snake that stood before us. **"Striking Shadow Snake!"** Two snakes came out of Orochimaru's arm, aiming right for us. In order to avoid the attack, we jumped back, creating some space between us and the demon snake. "So… you've chosen their side I see. Sai, or whatever you name is."

"Leave this to me. I'll take care of him." Naruto said. "Go on. Get out of here and find Sasuke."

"Naruto, I'm not leaving you alone to fight him." I state in a stern tone while I stood beside him. I then looked back at Sai. "Sai, you go on ahead. Let me and Naruto handle him."

"Very well. Don't worry. Wherever he is, I'll find him… and I'll save him." Sai assured us. With that, he turned around and ran down the long corridor.

"So… you came all this way to take your friend Sasuke back, eh?" he asked. "Your persistence is impressive but, do you think the outcome will be in your favor?"

"I don't care if you are one of the Legendary Sannin, like old lady Tsunade or Jiraiya." Naruto growled as he held a spar sigh. "I will defeat you! I will take Sasuke back!" he yelled. **"Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto created an army of shadow clones before us, shielding us away from Orochimaru. They all rushed forward, aiming right for the snake.

"**Striking Shadow Snake!"** Orochimaru called out. Four snakes flew out of his sleeve and came right at the clones. When they opened their mouths, sharp daggers, which really looked like the top points of swords, were revealed, eliminating the clones a few at a time. But Naruto was waiting for him.

"**Rasengan!"** he called out.

He was able to strike one of the snakes, obliterating it in sight. But the other three snakes came forward and canceled out that clone and the rest. Naruto himself ran forward, aiming a kunai at his opponent. But just before the knife could reach its target, Orochimaru used one of his snakes to catch Naruto, holding him in the air. This wasn't good at all. Seeing that he was in trouble, I drew my sword as I rushed forward to help Naruto.

"Let him go!" I growled. **"Ninja Art: White Light Chakra Blade!"** I brought my chakra covered blade down, slicing right through the snakes that held Naruto. Once freed, Naruto landed on the ground and jumped back. I quickly jumped away and landed right beside him. "You all right, Naruto?"

"Yeah. Thanks." He said.

When I glanced over at Naruto, I found him breathing hard. I knew that there was a chance that he was still recovering. I had to make sure he didn't overdo it. That and keep Orochimaru away from him as well. But that was easier said than done. Orochimaru was no doubt a tough opponent to deal with even with strong allies.

"What happened to all that power you had?" Orochimaru taunted. "The power of the Nine Tails. Surely there must be more to it than this."

"Would you just shut the hell up!?" I growled. "If you want Naruto, you're going to have to go through me!"

"Now, now. You know I can't kill you off just yet, my little Kazumi." He said in his damn taunting tone. "You and I both know that I still need you alive. After all, what good is a dead experiment anyway?"

"There's no way in hell I'm going to become one of your damn experiments!" I growled. "That's never going to happen!"

"Ah, but on the contrary my dear, you have already became one of my experiments." Orochimaru corrected me. "After all, I did select you to see if you were a suitable host for the Ten Tails." That just made my blood boil even hotter. "Hmm, and I can't help but wonder..." He says. "Just how much power does the Ten Tails truly has. So why don't you show me, my little Kazumi."

"Stop calling me that!" I snapped. While I glared daggers at him, my eyes quickly turned liquid silver. "You don't own me and you never will." I growled.

"There it is. There's the power I seek." He hissed. **"Striking Shadow Snake!"** he adds and sends out four more snakes.

"I'm getting really sick and tired of you and these damn snakes." I said in an annoyed tone. "It's because of things like you that make me hate snakes in the first place."

"Show me what you got." He taunted.

As I took a step forward, I started channeling my chakra once more. But before the snakes could get close and before I could move, a wooden pillar suddenly appears out of the wall that was to my and Naruto's left. It slammed right into the snakes, crushing them into the wall on our right. I knew immediately it was Captain Yamato's doing. When the pillar retracted back into the wall, Captain Yamato and Sakura appeared.

"Orochimaru again huh?" questioned Captain Yamato.

"I hope you'll repay me by eliminating one more member of the Akatsuki." Orochimaru says to us.

"Say what!?" Naruto and I asked.

"I'm afraid that I have some important business with Sai that can't wait." He continued. "So if you would excuse me." And with that, he disappeared.

"Bastard…! Get back here!" I growled as I started moving.

"Hold it, Kazumi." Captain Yamato said, causing me to stop and look at him. "He's gone. Besides, we have other matters to attend to, like finding Sai. Where is he?"

"Sai…?" Naruto asked. "He's somewhere looking for Sasuke. If Orochimaru has gone looking for him, we better find him." I looked back at where Orochimaru was just standing.

"_**Pup, you need to calm down. We have other things to worry about then chasing after that damn snake." Kiyiya tells me.**_

Hearing Kiyiya's voice, I started to calm down. My eyes slowly returning back to normal. "_Yeah, you're right._" I tell her as I released a small sigh. "_What the hell was I thinking? Even though I want nothing more than to make him pay for what he did to Naruto._ _Do I want to get myself killed doing so?_" I said to myself inwardly.

"Kazumi." I hear Captain Yamato say, snapping me back to reality. I turn my head to look back towards him. As I did, I remembered what he just said.

"Right, let's get going then." I say to Captain Yamato and started to make my way over towards him and the others.

* * *

While moving through the maze-like hideout, we stumbled across Sai's things. And inside we also found a bingo book. There were pictures with an X across them, indicating that they have been taken care of. And inside that Bingo book, Captain Yamato found a picture of Sasuke Uchiha. He was the next person on Sai's list. Now the situation had turned from bad to worse. We quickly took off down the corridor, searching for any sign of Sasuke or Sai. Whichever we found first, we were to find the other as well. Then suddenly…_** Boom! Crash! **_We stopped once we heard the explosion. But we quickly started back running. When we finally found the way out, we saw Sai and Sakura standing there looking up for some reason. Naruto and I kicked into second gear as we ran down the corridor. I ran up and stopped right beside Sakura.

"Hn, so Kazumi is here as well."

When I heard that all too familiar, annoying apathetic voice, I looked towards the direction it came from. A voice that made me believe that that said person was nothing but an emotional boy that needed help. The very voice that belonged to the one my friends, the one Naruto, Sakura and I had been searching tirelessly for… Sasuke…Uchiha.

When I saw Sasuke, he had those same empty black eyes…the same hair, nose, and mouth. But he was much paler than he had been before, probably from being underground all the time. He was definitely taller and with his shirt open you could see a bit of muscle that he developed from his training. However his clothing attire had also changed. He wore a white open long sleeve shirt, similar to how Kimimaru wore his. Along with that, he donned a pair of dark blue pants with a thick blue cloth hanging around his waist that reached from his stomach to his knees, which was supported by the thick purple rope that was also worn by that snake, Orochimaru. He also had on black shinobi shoes.

"Since all three of you are here, I assume Kakashi is here as well." Sasuke says, making it sound more like a statement than a question. For once Sasuke found he was wrong when Yamato joined the rest of us.

"Sorry, Kakashi couldn't make it. I'm here in his stead. We of Team Kakashi are here to take you back to Konoha." Captain Yamato told him.

"So that boy is my stand in…?" Sasuke glanced at Sai for a moment before turning his attention back on us. "I'll tell you just as I told that him…_I have no intention of returning to Konoha-ever._"

"Sasuke..." Sakura mumbled.

"The reason why I crushed my bonds with them is because I have a different bond now…a bond of hatred between my older brother and me…Personal bonds cause confusion and personal memories only makes you weak." Sasuke explained.

"_That can't be true._" Naruto, Sakura and I thought in defeat as we listened to Sasuke's words.

Why would he want to sever the bonds he made with us? After everything we've been through…all the missions, all the cuts and bruises we got together, all the pain and happiness we went through together…how can he just throw away the bonds and memories we had just for the sake of revenge?

Naruto clenched his fists, "Why, Sasuke…?" He asked softly, trying to hold back the emotions that want to burst out. "Why didn't you just kill me on that day?" He shouted, remembering the day they faced off against each other. "That would've severed our bond! Were you scared to kill me?! Huh…!?"

Sasuke placed his hand on his hip, "There's an explanation for that…It's not that I couldn't sever that bond… I just couldn't stand the idea of attaining power by following in his footsteps." He explained.

"What do you mean?" Naruto and I asked.

"I don't have to explain it to either one of you." He said as aloof as ever, "Naruto, I spared your life on a whim…nothing more…"

"That's nothing but a bunch of bull Uchiha and you know it!" I yelled as I glared at him. "I know the reason. It's because Naruto was stronger than you! You couldn't defeat him!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he stared at me. He didn't move. He just stayed in the same spot he was standing in. But even though I didn't get a reaction out of him, I wasn't going to stop. I was going to tell him what he didn't want to hear.

"You started to panic once you saw Naruto improving! You felt as if you were in a standstill because you knew Naruto was just going to continue getting stronger and stronger." I continued. "And you knew that pretty soon, he was going to surpass you!"

"…Still the same girl as before. You haven't changed a bit. You're worse than your pathetic brother….." Sasuke said coldly.

"Watch what you say, Uchiha…!" I said in a low tone. Before we knew it, Sasuke was standing right next to Naruto. Sakura, Captain Yamato and I gasped as we witness his speed. But I knew he had yet to show us what he could really do. What he's true power was like.

"Come to think of it…Didn't you dream of becoming Hokage one day?" He asked Naruto, "All that time you spent chasing me, you could've spent it better on training…wouldn't you agree, Naruto? Because this time, my whim is telling me…" He reached behind him with his free hand to pull out his sword out of its sheath and aimed it at Naruto's back, "…to finish what I started…"

Naruto didn't bother to move or defend himself, "I could never become Hokage if I can't even save my friend…" His eyes narrowed, "Isn't that right, Sasuke?" Sasuke reared his arm back to stab Naruto but Sai was able to catch his arm, keeping it away from Naruto. "That block you selected, was the correct one."

Naruto took the distraction to use Sasuke's arm to flip over him. However right when Yamato was going to use his wood style Jutsu to detain Sasuke, Sasuke lowered his body slightly and released a stream of lightning around his body shocking Naruto and Sai into submission. **"Chidori Stream…!"**

"Damn that Uchiha…!" I said to myself. I was about to run towards him, but Sakura beat me to it. She charged chakra into her fist, aiming to hit Sasuke with it.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan and raised his sword to attack. But before he could reach Sakura, Captain Yamato jumped in front of her and blocked it with a kunai. But Sasuke's sword was strange because the kunai fazed right through it, allowing Sasuke to pierce Captain Yamato's right shoulder. He pushed back, pinning him down to a nearby rock, keeping him from escaping.

"My Kusanagi blade is unlike any other blade," Sasuke said pushing Yamato against a boulder, "It's impossible to block."

"Then try blocking this, Uchiha!" I yelled as I ran to strike him with my own blade.

Even though his sword was still embedded in Yamato, Sasuke still blocked my attack with his bare hand. He soon turned his concentration turned to Naruto. The shock from the Chidori Stream was wearing off and he could move again thanks to the chakra he was using from the Nine-tailed fox's chakra. His fox like features were showing again.

"_Oh no… Naruto, not again._" I thought to myself.

* * *

_Using his Sharingan, Sasuke was able to see the Nine-tailed fox talking to Naruto. It's his first time seeing the Nine-tailed fox for himself but he wasn't afraid._

_"I can see it now," Sasuke said, catching Naruto and the Nine-tailed fox off guard, "This is the source of your strength…" His Sharingan eyes narrowed at the bubbly sight of the Nine-tailed fox, "I never imagined such a thing inside of you."_

_**Nine-tails stared down at Sasuke, "You can actually see me…thanks to that abominable Sharingan, a product of your accursed clan's bloodline."**_

_Sasuke placed his hand on the Nine-tails giant nose, "Seems this isn't your first encounter with these eyes…Nine-tailed fox demon…"_

_**The nine tailed fox rumbled darkly, "Your ocular powers and that vile chakra you exude remind me of Madara Uchiha."**_

_Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly at the name, more on the last name. He squeezed the nine-tails nose until the bubbly nine-tails popped. Naruto's eyes widen in shock at this. Sasuke was able to get rid of the nine-tails just like that. "I know no such person." Sasuke told the Nine-tails._

_**"I can't believe you were even able to suppress my powers…it may be my undoing, but let me tell you one thing…Don't…kill…Naruto…! You'll…regret it…!"**_

* * *

"_He may have blocked my sword, but let's see him block my lightning._" I thought and started sending an electric current through my sword.

But before I could use it to attack him, Yamato quickly removes Sasuke's sword from out of his shoulder by using a wood pillar to appear in the wound. After avoiding my attack, as well as Yamato's, Sasuke quickly moved out the way and jumps high into the air, landing right on the edge above us. He was just looking down at us.

"Don't you get it!?" Naruto shouted at Sasuke, "Orochimaru's going to steal your body!"

"If it happens, it happens…" Sasuke told him, "You don't get it Naruto. I don't care what happens to me or the world so long as I can get my revenge. Nothing else matters. To be honest neither Orochimaru nor I are strong enough to defeat Itachi on our own. But if I can obtain the power to defeat Itachi by giving myself over to Orochimaru…I would gladly give my life many times over…"

"You idiot…! How can you say that?" I yelled. "You would become that damn snake's vessel just so you could defeat your brother? What kind of nonsense is that?!"

"Maybe you'll understand if I go kill your brother, Kazumi." Sasuke said. "Only then you'll understand. Or I could go ahead and kill you. Then your brother will feel a piece of my pain."

"_Bastard._" I thought to myself as I narrowed my eyes dangerously towards the Uchiha. "_He truly has fallen._"

"In fact, I should just get rid of you all." Sasuke added. "With you all out of the way, my bonds with you will truly be severed." I just stood there looking at Sasuke. I could feel my blood beginning to boil throughout my body. I just stood there, clutching my hands as I glared at Sasuke, Orochimaru and Kabuto.

"Kazumi-chan?" Naruto asked.

"I honestly can't believe you, Uchiha." I snarled quietly. "You would really kill your comrades, your friends, just to sever the bonds you made. Especially those you made with Naruto."

"Former comrades…" He corrected me. "And the only bond that truly matters to me is the bond that I and my older brother share. And that's the bond of hatred."

"You've have definitely changed, Uchiha. And not for the better." I growled.

"_This isn't good. If this continues, she's going to go through the same transformation Naruto went through not too long ago._" Yamato thought.

"I can't believe that you would just stand there and not just threaten my brother's life but my friends' lives as well." I snarled. "There's no doubt that Orochimaru has gotten inside your head, that's for damn sure."

"_It looks like Sasuke really struck a nerve there._ _But soon, very soon, I will have the Ten Tails under my control. However, I will have to get possession of Sasuke's body first. With his Sharingan, I will be able to control that beast._" Orochimaru thought with a smirk on his face. "That's it. Show me that power, Kazumi." He said to me.

"I've had enough of you. It's about time for me to finish this." Sasuke said as he lifted one hand into the air. But before he could do anything, Orochimaru caught his arm.

"I wouldn't use _that_ Jutsu, Sasuke." Orochimaru told him.

"Let go." Sasuke demanded.

Kabuto appeared to the right of Sasuke, "Now what did I tell you about being more respectful toward Lord Orochimaru?"

Sasuke looked at him, a little annoyed, "Why should I stop?"

"You know the Akatsuki is on the move." Kabuto told him, "We want Konoha to get rid of the Akatsuki for us. As many as possible because if other Akatsuki members interfere it would prevent you from getting your revenge."

Sasuke could tell that it was lie. There was obviously more that Kabuto was letting Sasuke in on. "That's a pitiful excuse…" Sasuke replied.

"Jeopardize your quest for revenge…or increase its chance of success." Kabuto reinstated, "Which seems the more prudent choice to you?"

"…" Sasuke just looked down at us. As much as he wanted to get rid of us, he would stick to the plan. He snatched his hand out of Orochimaru's and together they disappeared in flames before our eyes.

I just continued to stand there, staring in the spot Sasuke, Orochimaru and Kabuto were just standing. Slowly, I began to calm myself down but my eyes never left the edge. That Uchiha... He was already blinded by revenge from the get go. Orochimaru just made it worse.

"Damn you, Uchiha..." I growled under my breath as I continued to clutched my hands. "Damn that Orochimaru." I growled to myself.

After standing there in silence for a moment, I lowered my head and turned to look over towards Naruto. He was kneeling on the ground, his head lowered as well. I could also hear him sniffing quietly. A few seconds more passed and I pulled myself together. I turned around and quietly walked over to Naruto. Once I was standing beside him, I kneeled down, sitting on one knee, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Naruto." I said quietly. Naruto continued to keep his head down.

"Naruto. Crying won't bring Sasuke back." Sakura said with her back facing us as she cried as well. "I'm here too. We have to be strong, all of us."

"Sakura's right." I said in a soft tone. "The most important thing is that we have each other. Like you said, we won't give up, not this easily. We'll bring back Uchiha, one way or another."

"Well, look." Sai started. "We still have almost half a year left. And with there being four of us, our chances increase as well. You got me. So that should be some help, right?" Naruto soon brought his sleeve up to wipe his eyes.

"Yeah… Thanks." He said quietly.

"Right." I said quietly. "Don't worry. One day, all of us will bring back Uchiha and be a team again." I added. "_It certainly won't be an easy feat, but that won't be enough to stop us._" I thought to myself.


	11. Mission Failed, A Training Method Awaits

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter Eleven: Mission Failed, A New Training Method Awaits Naruto_

**Back at the Hidden Leaf Village:**

"I see then." Tsunade said quietly as she looked at us. "And?"

"We're not giving up no matter what." Naruto answered. We all nodded, clearly agreeing with Naruto's response.

"_The fire in their eyes. They've become more determined than ever._" Tsunade thought to herself. "Heh. All right then." She says. "If that's the case, we'll row you right off to your next mission. Standby at home and I'll call you soon."

"Yes ma'am!" Naruto states sternly. After dismissing us, we all left the Hokage Tower together.

"Hey! Hey! How about we all go out for some ramen!" Naruto suddenly suggested. "Come on. What do you guys say?"

"Naruto? Have you've already forgotten what Lady Tsunade told us back there?" Sakura asked.

"Uh? Say what now?" questioned Naruto.

"We're supposed to stay at home until Team Kakashi's next mission has been determined. Remember?" Sakura reminds him.

"Ah, come on. An hour or two won't hurt. And she won't even know about it." Naruto says as he folds his hands behind his head.

"Then go by yourself." Sakura replied.

"That kind of defeats the whole purpose, you know what I mean." Naruto says in a disappointed tone. "Hey! How about it, Kazumi-chan? Let's go get some ramen! Just you and me!"

"Well… I suppose it wouldn't hurt." I replied as I looked up towards the sky thoughtfully. "Sure, why not? But we can't stay for too long, alright. Afterwards we have to head straight home and wait until Lady Tsunade calls us. Understand?" I told him.

"Mm-hmm." He nods. "Let's go!" Naruto says in an excited tone and begins to head towards Ichiraku. "We'll catch you guys later!" he yells over his shoulder.

"Oh brother." I say quietly, shaking my head. "Okay, Sakura. Sai. We'll catch you two later." I told them. I soon turned around and began moving.

I looked up ahead to see Naruto stopping dead in his tracks. He quickly turns around to look back at me. "Come on, Kazumi-chan! Ichiraku awaits!" he says cheerfully.

"Calm down, Naruto. Ichiraku isn't going anywhere." I told him.

"I swear. Those two act just like little kids sometimes." Sakura commented to herself. "They are so immature."

* * *

After Naruto consumed four bowls of ramen, only one for me, we proceed to walk home together. We agreed that we needed to be at home when Lady Tsunade did call us, so we left a little earlier than we planned. As we walked down the street in a comfortable but somewhat awkward silence.

"Hey um, Kazumi." Naruto said, breaking the temporary silence and catching my attention.

"Hmm? What is it?" I ask.

"Uh, well... I wanted to apologize." He said. I just looked at him.

"Huh? Apologize for what?" I ask.

"Captain Yamato… he told me that when I transformed, I went berserk. Not only did I attack and injured Sakura, I came after you as well." Naruto explained. "He told me that I was aiming to attack Sakura again but you jumped in front of her, protecting her. I promise it won't happen again."

I just shook my head calmly, "Naruto, that wasn't your fault." I told him. "I understand that your anger got the best of you, which allowed Kurama to take advantage of your weaken state. But now that you understand what causes the cloak to appear, you can now better prepare yourself so it won't happen again."

"Yeah, but still. I'm sorry." He told me. "I just hope Sakura can forgive me too." I placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder as we continued to move. When he looked at me, I just smiled back at him.

"Naruto, Sakura and I are both fine. And I know she doesn't blame you. She told you so herself." I assured him. I stepped in front of him, stopping him. "So don't stress yourself out because of this. And stop punishing yourself. You don't deserve any of it."

"But, Kazumi…" he started.

"But nothing, Naruto." I cut him off. "Look, the important thing is that everyone is alive and well. So like I said before, there is no need for you to apologize, alright."

"Yeah. I guess." He says.

"Besides, there's no need for to worry too much. Everything will be fine." I assure him. "The day will come when you will tame Kurama and you'll become even stronger. Of course it will take time, but you will succeed. That's a definite, trust me."

"Yeah, you're right." he agreed, smiling.

"Hey, there we go. There's that smile I love to see." I said, smiling back. I took a step forward and hugged him. "After all, Naruto… you want to be Hokage. So don't let this stop you from achieving that goal. And don't worry, you won't be alone. You'll have me and the others at your side, every step of the way."

"Heh, right," Naruto said smiling back. "As long as we keep our minds set on our goals, we'll achieve them in no time."

"Right!" I agreed. "Now then. We better get home before Lady Tsunade calls us." I told him. "We need to get enough rest as we possibly can."

"Yeah, I agree. And who knows what mission Grandma Tsunade will give us." He added. "Thanks again for coming to get some ramen with me. And thanks for the talk too."

"No thanks are necessary. That's what friends are for." I assured him. "And I'm more than happy to join you for ramen, even though we eat there every day."

"Heh, right." He tells me.

"But you know something; you really do eat too much ramen." I told him as I turned around, folding my hands behind my head.

"What can I say? I absolutely love ramen." He says with a cheerful tone.

"It's more like you're enthralled with the stuff if you ask me." I said with a laugh. "But seriously, you really should to try new things."

"Well, I'm not eating any raw vegetables. Yuck!" he says with a disgusted look on his face.

"Who says they have to be raw?" I asked him, chuckling a little. "They can be cooked, you know. And there are other things besides vegetables."

"I hate vegetables." He mumbled to himself. I just slightly shook my head at him. We continued to move down the street and before long, we were at my apartment.

"Well, this is me. I'll see you later." I told him.

"Right." he said. I soon entered my home, wave goodbye at Naruto and closed the door slowly behind me.

* * *

**Naruto's Point of View:**

I watched as Kazumi went inside, closing the door behind her. I soon turned around and proceeded to my house. But as I walked down the streets, what I heard Kazumi tell me minutes ago continued to play inside my head.

_Flashback…_

"_But nothing, Naruto." She cut me off. "Look, the important thing is that everyone is alive and well. So like I said before, there is no need for you to apologize, alright."_

_End of flashback…_

"_Even after what happened, Kazumi-chan still doesn't blame me._" I thought to myself. "_She really does care about me. But I can't help but wonder if she shares the same feelings I do._"

I decided to leave this thought alone for the time being. Maybe it would be revealed soon. But I do want to find out. Maybe if I tell her how I really felt about her, she would tell me if she feels the same. I guess there's only one way to find out. I just hope she isn't like Sakura.

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

Later that evening, Lady Tsunade appointed us with a new mission. Captain Yamato, Sakura, Naruto and I already got together. So we headed out to get Sai. When we made it to his house, we all stood underneath a nearby tree as Naruto called out for him.

"Hey! Sai!" Naruto yelled, thus catching his attention. Before long, we see Sai appearing in the window. "Come on! We're meeting to go over our next mission! Hurry up will ya!"

"Okay, I'm coming." Sai told him. When soon saw Sai exit his home and run over to where we were standing waiting for him.

"About time, slowpoke. What took ya?" I asked him in a joking tone.

"Oh, uh. I was just drawing." He answers.

"Well, at least you weren't asleep like a certain someone I know." Sakura tells him as she directs her attention onto Naruto.

"Hey, don't look at me like that Sakura." Naruto told her. "Okay, so I was asleep. Big deal."

"It took us a whole ten minutes to finally wake you up." She explained.

"Come on, Sakura. You act as if it took us thirty minutes." I told her. "Just be happy he isn't like me. I'll snap at you for waking me up."

"Of course you'll snap at someone. You got a bad temper." She stated.

"Hmpf, speaking of bad tempers. You're not one to talk, Tsunade Junior." I told her as I folded my arms against my chest, narrowing my eyes slightly in her direction. "Ever since you started training under Lady Tsunade, you became her twin. And that bad temper of _yours_ has definitely gotten worse. It was bad to begin with."

"What did you call me!?" she suddenly yells as a vein appears on the side of her forehead.

"You heard me, Sakura. I don't need to repeat myself." I stated bluntly. "Besides, those were Master Jiraiya's words, not mine. And that little outburst of yours, plus that vein on your forehead proves my point."

"Well at least I don't look like my older brother." She exclaimed.

"Heh, well of course you don't. That's because you can't. You don't even have an older brother." I told her as I released a small chuckle.

"Kazumi… You are so asking for it." Sakura growled as she looked at me.

"All right you two, that's enough." Captain Yamato told us. "We need to start discussing our next mission. So let's get going."

"Right!" we all stated together. With that, we all started moving as we made our way to the main gates of the village.

* * *

**(Time Skip no Jutsu) A couple of days later, Normal Point of View:**

Inside the local Library, someone was silently mumbling to themselves….

"…In order to hasten the development of understanding between yourself and others…. First thing to do is reduce any emotional barriers…. For instance, when addressing someone…. By using name suffixes such as "-san" and "-kun"… You will remain distant from that person, never seeing any reduction in emotional barriers." Sai read. "To combat this, one should first take the initiative to stop using such suffixes… Assigning nicknames or other terms of endearment may be viable options… By doing such, one is able to… Position themselves in a particularly special and close relationship…. Hmm, makes sense…"

As Sai continued to read his book, someone else appears in the library. They walked over to the section that contained information on medical Ninjutsu and knowledge and began searching for a particular book.

"Here it is…" Sakura said to herself. As Sakura took the book and turned the corner, she spotted Sai sitting at a table alone. "_Huh? Hey, it's Sai…_" she thought and began making her way over. "Did you come here looking for some art books or something?" she asked, catching Sai's attention.

"Sakura-san…" Sai said.

"Oh, so you're a reader….." she asks.

"Well… Just a bit of one." He answers.

"_Sai sure has a real "human" side to him…_" she thought as she spotted the books he was reading. "Oh! That reminds me…" she says. "Naruto, Kazumi and I are going to go visit Kakashi-sensei at the hospital. Did you want to come too?"

"Kakashi sensei…." Sai says.

"Well, you are on Team Kakashi with us so it'd probably be best to meet him once anyway…." Sakura explains.

* * *

Meanwhile Naruto was just sitting on the steps of a building. As he sat there in silence, he remembered what Sasuke had said to them.

"_Revenge means everything to me… As long as I can have my revenge, I could care less what happens to me, or to the whole world for that matter." Sasuke said. "If I'm able to accomplish my goals through nothing more than offering Orochimaru this body of mine….Then he can have my life, and my afterlife for that matter."_

"_Sasuke…._" Naruto thought.

"Naruto!" Naruto heard, making him look up. There he saw Sakura and Sai approaching him.

"Ah? What the…. What is Sai doing here?!" Naruto asked.

"I happened to run into him at the library, so…" Sakura explained.

"How can you two even stand it at the library, it's so uncomfortable there." Naruto said.

"You'd do well to go once in a while, Naruto." Sakura told him. "Training involves the head as well as the body. I mean, you're just so stupid as things are."

"_I see… so Sakura doesn't use any name suffixes when talking to Naruto-kun…._" Sai thought.

"Sakura. That's saying way too much." Naruto whined. "Uh, by the way. Have you seen Kazumi-chan?" he asks as he lifts he's head up.

"Um, earlier." Sakura told him. "She said that she'll meet up with us at the hospital later. Knowing her, she's probably there now."

"N… Naruto… Sakura…" Sai started, catching their attentions. "Would you mind if I join the conversation as well?"

"…?"

"….Ah! …Err… I read this book… about getting to know people and stuff, and… It said that I should drop name suffixes or use nicknames and such… By doing so it creates a feeling of closeness, allowing people to become friends quickly…"

"Heh… Sai… I didn't think you actually cared about that stuff." Naruto tells him.

"So that's why you were reading those books." Sakura adds.

"…..umm… But… while I thought about it for a bit, I couldn't think of any good nicknames for you two… so for now, I just drop the suffixes and…"

"…_I can't believe how serious Sai was in thinking about our friendships._" Sakura thought.

"Nicknames aren't something you think about, they just happen, naturally!" Naruto explains.

"If you're going to make a nickname then you can, for instance, use someone's characteristics… Like, here, take Naruto…" Sakura explains. "He'd be "Stupid Naruto" or "Idiot Naruto"…"

"Sakura-a, that's way overdoing it." Naruto tells her.

"_Characteristics, huh… I see…_" Sai thought.

"_I remember Sai when we first met him… He's so different now._" Sakura thought.

"Thanks, I think I got the hang of it…. Ugly-dog." Sai tells her.

As soon as those words left Sai's mouth, there was a moment of silence but suddenly Sakura began to claw out, trying to grab Sai. Lucky for him, Naruto stood there and kept Sakura back. But Sakura was putting up a fight.

"Sai! That's way overdoing it!" Naruto yells.

"…Huh? What do you mean?" Sai asks innocently.

* * *

**At Konoha Hospital, Kazumi's Point of View:**

I was sitting on the windowsill inside Kakashi's hospital room. Since it was Team Kakashi's day off, I decided to wear my civilian attire. I was donning a short-sleeved, white kimono-like blouse over my normal sleeveless dark navy shirt with my mask. The sleeves, as well as along the bottom, was trimmed with red triangles. It was held closed with a navy obi that matched the pair of shorts I was donning, which stopped about an inch above my knees. I did decide to keep on my dark navy armbands, without the steel guards, since they matched my mask, my obi and my shorts. I also chose to wear my hair down instead of having it a low ponytail. I had some hang down my shoulders while the rest cascaded down my back.

"I heard about your mission." Kakashi says as he keeps his eyes firmly on the pages of his book. "Yamato also told me that you summoned the Ten Tails' power."

"_Why did I have a feeling that Captain Yamato knew about that… and that he was going to rat me out as well?_" I thought to myself. I just sighed. "I guess I did." I told him as I folded my arms against my chest. "But only my eyes changed color. I was careful and had everything under control."

"Even though you had _everything under control_, you know the risks of using that power." Kakashi tells me in a parental tone. "You don't want to wind up back in a hospital bed, now do you?"

I just sighed heavily as I looked at Kakashi, "No, I don't." I answered. "It was my mistake. And it was stupid on my part for allowing my emotions to get the best of me."

"Well, I have to agree that you do have a short fuse." He says with a chuckle. I just narrowed me eyes slightly. "Of course, I've found myself being on the receiving end of it on more than one occasion."

I couldn't help but to relax and chuckle along, "And you can thank your stupid hobby for that." I added as I stood up and walked over to the side of the bed. "Speaking of which. It seems that Master Jiraiya paid you a little visit." I told him as I pointed at the stupid book.

"Well, he knew I would be bored being cooped up inside a hospital bed. So he gave me this small present to help me pass the time." Kakashi explains.

"Well wasn't that nice of him." I said sarcastically.

"Maybe once you turn eighteen, you'll get interested in this type of reading." He adds. When he looked up at me, I just had a deadpanned expression on my face that said '_hell-no-not-gonna-happen-bro'_. "Or… maybe not."

"Yeah… I'll stick to my own genre of reading, thank you very much." I said plainly. Seconds later, we suddenly hear a firm but gentle knock at the door. "Well, it seems that this little conversation of ours is over." I told him.

"I wouldn't say it's over. We'll just postpone it for now." Kakashi tells me.

"Oh no. It's definitely over." I said sternly.

"We shall see." He responds. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at that comment. "Enter!" He then calls out. When the door opened, it revealed Sakura. And following right behind her were Sai and Naruto. As both boys entered, they were both rubbing their cheeks, which were a little red. Kakashi and I just gave them questioning looks as they made their way inside.

"_What the heck happened to them?" _I thought to myself. _"Naruto. What the hell happened to you and Sai?_" I asked him as he walked farther into the room. "_Did you two get into a fight with each other, again?_"

"_No, we didn't. Sai called Sakura an ugly-dog, again, which caused her to attack._" He explained as he continued to rub his cheek. "_I tried to keep Sakura from killing him and well, I ended up getting slapped around, over and over again. I even got punched in the face too._"

"_Ouch. No need to explain any further._" I told him. "_It looks like she got you both really good too._"

"_You have no idea. It still hurts._" He added.

"I see… So this is the new team member…." Kakashi says. "Sai, was it? Nice to meet you."

"…thank you." Sai says.

"Sakura, come here a sec…" Kakashi says as he motions to her. "Both of them are hurt… did they get in a fight or something? Naruto's a bit short tempered… So it doesn't surprise me, but…"

"Oh… No, it's nothing, really… We're all really good friends!" Sakura assured him.

"Oh… Really… Well, then things are ok, I suppose." Kakashi says. Sakura just laughs halfheartedly in agreement as she looks towards Naruto and Sai.

"I don't know, Nii-san. Maybe there's more to this then you think." I told him. He gave me a questioning look while Sakura sent me a small glare. I couldn't help but snicker silently.

"_The great Kakashi Hatake, much was said of him when I was in "Roots"… No doubt he's looked into my past already._" Sai thought.

"Naruto..." Sakura suddenly says.

"Oh, umm…. Kakashi sensei… our last mission, it…" Naruto began.

"I've already heard everything from Yamato…. He told me about Sasuke as well…" Kakashi says.

"We don't have any time left… At this rate… In just a bit longer, he'll… And with where we're at right now, we aren't strong enough to bring Sasuke back… He's gotten way too strong…" Naruto explains.

"Well …In that case… You only need to become stronger than him, right." Kakashi asks.

"Even as I looked at him, it was clear that the speed at which he's gotten stronger isn't normal at all…" Sakura adds. "After consulting Tsunade-sama… she told me it's possible he's been using forbidden Jutsu or has been given drugs during his training…. With someone like Kabuto working with him, well…. And while I probably can't hope to learn anything from books like these, about how people who experiment on humans think, well…"

"In that case, you'll just need to get even stronger than him, at a faster rate." Kakashi says.

"Yeah, but how?" Sakura asks.

"You don't think I've just been sleeping here without thinking, do you?" Kakashi asks. "I was thinking the whole time… And…something came to me. Still this particular method is best for someone like Naruto… or rather…. I should say that it's really something that only he is capable of doing."

"_Hmm? What exactly are you thinking, Nii-chan?_" I asked myself.

"With this training, Naruto… You might even surpass me, in a way of speaking." Kakashi adds.

"….surpass you, Kakashi sensei?" Naruto asks.

"Right." Kakashi answers. "During this training, I'll be with you the whole time. Also, it's going to be quite different from any training you've had so far."

"…Wh- What'll we be doing?" Naruto asks.

"You'll develop an Ultimate Ninjutsu to call your own." Kakashi answers. "In other words, we're going to have you acquire a new Ninjutsu even greater than the Rasengan. However, in order to acquire such power, one must spend an equally massive amount of time and effort to do so."

"So, what exactly is the training?" Naruto asks. "And when do we begin?"

"We will begin soon." Kakashi says.

As we stood there, Asuma sensei along with Ino, Chouji and Shikamaru appeared. Knowing that the adults wanted to talk, we all left. Since we were together, we chose to go out and get some barbeque. Surprisingly, it was Asuma sensei's idea and not Chouji's. When it came to barbeque, or food for that matter, he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity.

* * *

Once at Yakiniku, we were escorted to our table and took our seats. Naruto and Chouji sat on one side, Sai and Ino sat on the other while Sakura and I took the ends. While we waited, I was quietly reading my book while everyone else tried to make small talk. In other words, Ino was trying to get to know Sai a little better.

"Hey! Where's Shikamaru?" Sakura asks.

"He said he had to go help his dad to get some antlers they used to make medicine." Chouji explains.

"Hmm, that's strange. He always shows up for our meetings about our missions. That's not like him." Ino pointed out.

"All right! I call dibs on his ribs!" Chouji quickly says.

"Chouji!" Ino yells. "Before we eat, we need to introduce ourselves to Sai-kun."

"Uh? I guess you're right." Chouji agrees.

"Please… go ahead." Sai tells him.

"My name is Chouji Akimichi of the Akimichi Clan." Chouji says. "Nice to meet you, um err, Sai, right?"

"Nice to meet you too, umm…." Sai started.

"…_.!_" Thought Sakura.

"_Oh no, not the forbidden word._" Thought Naruto.

"_He wouldn't…._" I thought as I peeped over my book.

"…Fa…" Sai started but before he could finish, Naruto quickly lunges out and slaps his hand over Sai's mouth.

"Sai! Don't you ever, ever say "fatso" in front of Chouji!" Naruto whispered to him. "Got it?"

"Did you start to say something just now?" Chouji asks.

"Oh no, Chouji. It's nothing, really." Sakura assured him.

"_Nice save._" I thought to Naruto.

"_Thanks. That was way too close._" He thought back as he returned to his seat.

"Nicknames sure are hard…" Sai said quietly.

"Hello. My name is Ino Yamanaka, I'm the daughter of the owner of the flower shop." Ino told Sai. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too…umm…Beautiful." Sai replied. Naruto looked towards Sakura, who had a pissed off look clear on her face. He looked at me and saw I had a sort of pissed off look in my eyes as well.

"Uh… Kazumi-chan…?" he asked cautiously.

"Why the hell is it "Beautiful" with Ino!?" Sakura screamed in anger. "Cha!"

"Sai." I growled as I narrowed my eyes. "You're definitely asking for a death wish. You have the nerve to call me and Sakura such names and then out of nowhere you decide to change! What the hell!?"

"_Uh oh, Sai's in trouble now._" Naruto thought to himself. "_Not only does he have Sakura after him, but he even got Kazumi-chan mad, again. That's twice in a row._"

"You know what. I'm not even going to bother with this. I'm done." I say with a sigh as I returned my attention back onto my book. "Besides, it would just be a waste of time and energy to come after you."

After Sakura calmed down, she took her seat and quietly sat there with the rest of us. I would have given him the benefit of the doubt, but what he called Ino quickly caught me off guard. To be honest, I was waiting for him to call Ino something like he did us. He almost slipped calling Chouji fat. But he didn't with Ino. Instead of calling her something mean, he decided to do the exact opposite.

* * *

"Man… that was a great meal!" Chouji exclaimed in a satisfied tone. "I can't eat another bite even if I wanted to."

"Well, that's Chouji for ya." Naruto said. "He'll eat everything in front of him."

"And everything around him." I added. I was still a little steamed that he snagged the rest of my meat off my plate. Without asking I might add.

"Sorry about that, Kazumi." Chouji told me as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I promise I'll pay you back."

"Oh, you better, Chouji." I told him as I gave him a small smile. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. Just… don't let it happen again. Ever."

"Heh, you got it." He replied.

"It was nice to meet you Sai." Ino said in a very pleasant tone. "I really hope we can do this again real soon. I really enjoyed out little conversation."

"_What does she mean by "their little conversation"? It was more of a one-sided discussion. She was the only one talking the entire time while Sai sat there like a damn statue._" I thought to Naruto.

"_Yeah, you're right. And when I tried to answer for him, all that did was make Ino mad._" Naruto thought back. "_There is no way in hell I'll helping him out with her again. He's on his own._" That caused me to chuckle quietly.

"Huh? What are you laughing about, Kazumi?" Ino suddenly asks.

"Oh! Nothing, it's nothing." I quickly told her. "I was just thinking that today went well. And that we should get together again sometime in the near future."

"Yeah, I agree. As long as Sai comes again, it will go perfect like it did today." She smiled as she stared lovingly at Sai. "Wouldn't you agree, Sai?"

"_Oh brother..._" Naruto and I thought together as we looked at the two with deadpanned expressions on our faces.

"Well, we better get going Ino." Chouji told his teammate. "Naruto... Sakura... Kazumi... Sai... We'll see you guys later, all right."

"You got it Chouji." Naruto told him.

"Bye Ino. Bye Chouji." Sakura said.

"Yeah… We'll see you guys around." I added. Sai just stood there quietly. While Chouji and Ino left, we all turned to face each other.

"So… I guess this is where we go our separate ways." Sai says.

"Yeah, I guess we do." Sakura replied. "Well… I'll see you guys later." With that, Sakura turned around and proceeded to leave.

"See ya, Sakura!" Naruto and I said.

"Well, I'll take my leave as well." Sai says. Naruto and I said goodbye to Sai as he walked away as well. Now it was just us standing in front of the restaurant.

"So Kazumi-chan. Are you going to head home too?" Naruto asks.

"Hmm, nah, I think I might stay out a little longer. There's still plenty of daylight to enjoy." I told him. "To be honest, I was thinking about going for a little walk around the village."

"Would you like some company?" he asks as he scratches his cheek nervously.

"Sure, I don't mind at all. You're welcome to come." I told him. "Besides, I think I'll enjoy it more with some company around."

* * *

Naruto and I walked down the streets in a comfortable silence. Naruto was on my left and was walking with his hands in his pockets. I had my hands together, holding my book, while I held them behind my back. From time to time, we would see some kids running around, playing ninja, with shuriken made out of cardboard and broken sticks used as kunai.

"_Come on, Naruto. Say something already._" Naruto thought to himself. "_How come it's so hard to talk to her now? I mean, we've been best friends since, well… almost forever. But what do I say?_"

"Uh? Are you all right there, Naruto?" I asked him, apparently snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, uh… y-yeah, I'm fine." He says quickly. "_Think Naruto, think._" He thought. That's when an idea popped into his head. "Hey, Kazumi-chan. What do you say we go get a treat."

"Huh? Uh, what kind of treat?" I asked, a little confused.

"Heh, you'll see." He tells me.

* * *

A few minutes later, Naruto and I were inside the third training grounds. He left me sitting underneath one of the large oak trees and said that he would be back in no time. I just sat there with my eyes fixated on the words within my book. I had my right hand behind my head while I leaned back against the trunk of the tree, enjoying the cool shade. Seconds later, I heard a soft thud. I took my eyes off my book and found Naruto standing right in front of me. At the same time, he held a blue Popsicle out towards me while he held another in his right hand.

"Here you go." He says.

"Heh… thanks." I tell him as I take a hold of the cold treat. I closed my book and sat it down next to me. "So this was the treat you were referring to."

"Yep... Pervy Sage would always share one with me. So I figured we could share one." He explained as he took a seat next to me. Once seated, he bit into his Popsicle.

"Hmm, this is very nice of you." I told him as I pulled my mask down to my neck, biting into my Popsicle. As I did so, I glanced sideways to find Naruto looking at me with a sort of surprised expression on his face. "Uh… What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just… of all the times we're around each other; I'm finally able to see your face." He tells me. "And you're not hiding behind anything, not even your book."

"Well, that's because most of the time we're out in public. And I normally don't remove my mask when we are." I explain to him as I rub the back of my neck. "But since it's just the two of us here, I feel that there's really no need for me to hide my face."

"Oh yeah?" he asks. I just nod my head as I bit into my treat. "Hmm. I can understand that. But why do you wear a mask anyway?" he asks.

"Well, to be honest, I sort of just picked up the habit from Kakashi." I explained. "But there are other reasons that follow behind that. One of them being a bit insecure. You see when I was younger, well… I was a little insecure about my appearance."

"Huh? You were insecure?" Naruto asked in a surprised tone. "Why was that?"

"Well, it was because of the markings and my canine teeth." I answered.

"Your markings and canine teeth?" he repeats. I just nod once more. I then gave him a small smile to reveal my sharp teeth. "But I don't get it. They don't look bad at all. Actually, they look pretty natural."

"Well, I was young and I had this feeling that a kid my age having sharp teeth and markings like mine wasn't… well, normal." I continued. "I mean I assumed that it wasn't normal because Kakashi didn't have them." Naruto just gave me a nod, telling me he understood where I was coming from. "So eventually the whole mask look grew on me, so… I kept it."

"Well… I think they look great." He tells me as he smiles at me. "In fact, they really suit you." I just looked at Naruto as a light pink tint slowly appeared on my cheeks.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course I do." He says happily. Now I knew my cheeks were slowly turning red. I quickly bit into my Popsicle, hoping it will help. Sadly it wasn't helping much.

"Wow. Thanks, Naruto." I tell him.

"Don't mention it, Kazumi-chan." He says with a small chuckle.

"You want to know something?" I asked.

"What?" he asked.

"Out of all of our friends, you're the only one who's seen me without my mask." I tell him.

"Well… we've been best friends for a long time. So, it just feels natural since we have nothing to hide, right?" he pointed out.

"Yeah, you're exactly right." I agreed. Naruto chuckle as he nodded.

"But I eventually came to love my markings." I continued as I finished the last of my Popsicle. "And that was before I found that they actually came from Kiyiya."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Naruto asks while he bites his cleaned Popsicle stick.

"I mean, these markings appeared after Kiyiya was sealed within me." I answered. "That's where they come from. And that includes the canines as well. They're just like your whisker markings. You got them from Kurama."

"Hmm, I honestly never thought about where my markings came from." Naruto says as he looks towards the sky in thought. "You know, now that I think about, it makes a lot of sense." I couldn't help but to smile at Naruto.

I soon looked forward and stared up at the cloudless blue sky above us, "You know it's nice to just sit here and relax. Don't you think?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I agree." He says as he leans back. He folds his hands behind his head, lying on the soft green grass. "It's nice to just relax from time to time, especially since we've been on missions one after the other."

"Heh, you're right about that." I tell him with a small chuckle. "You know, we use to do this a lot before you left to go train."

"I know. We would just sit out here for hours staring up at the sky. We would visualize our dreams coming true." he says.

"Yeah, that's right." I agreed.

"Hey." Naruto says, catching my attention. "You're wearing the present I gave you." I soon glanced down at my diamond pendant as it hung from the black string.

"Well of course." I say, taking a hold of the necklace. "Ever since that day you gave it to me, I've never taken it off. In fact, on several occasions, I used it to motivate myself whenever I trained alone."

"Really?" he asks with a curious look.

"Yep." I said with a nod. "I knew without a doubt that you were pushing yourself to your limits during your training. So I knew I had to do the same." I then turned my body to look at him. "Besides… I couldn't allow you to surpass me. Now can I?" I added as I poked him in his side.

Naruto cringed up slightly, "Hey, come on, that tickles." He says, laughing.

"Oh yeah, that's right. If I remember correctly, you are ticklish, aren't you?" I asked as my lips curved up into a mischievous smirk. I soon saw Naruto's eyes widen a little. Before Naruto could utter a single word, I quickly lunged out and started to tickle him. He tried his best to hold it in but he had no choice but to burst out into a fit of laughter.

"Ka-Kazumi-chan…" Naruto said in between laughs. "Come o-on, s-stop it."

"Not until you say it." I told him.

"Ne-Never!" he cried out. I just shrugged my shoulders and continued. Just when I thought Naruto was about to give in, he was able to turn the tables. I soon found myself lying on the ground with Naruto hovering over me while he pinned my arms to my side. "Now you're going to get it." He told me with the same mischievous grin I gave him moments ago.

"Oh crap." I said as I looked at Naruto with widened eyes. "Naruto, you better not." I told him as I shook my head.

The grin on Naruto's face grew and he just ignored what I said. Before I knew it, I was being tickled. I did my best to hold it in, but it was a failed attempt. I burst out laughing within seconds. I tried to crawl away but Naruto made sure there was no way for me to escape. I was laughing so hard that tears were practically falling down my cheeks.

"Come on, Kazumi-chan." Naruto says. "Say it and I'll stop."

"No! Ne-Never!" I yelled as I continued to laugh. "Y-You… You give up…. on t-trying…. t-to m-make… m-me give… u-up!"

"Heh, not a chance." He tells me. I lasted a few more seconds longer, but I soon couldn't keep it up any more.

"A-Alright… Uncle…Uncle!" I quickly exclaimed. Once I spoke the magic words, Naruto finally stopped.

"See. Now was that so hard to say?" he asks while he looks at me with a large goofy grin plastered on his face.

"I am so… getting you back… for this." I told him as I tried to catch my breath. "Mark my words… Naruto Uzumaki. I will get you back."

"Duly noted. But for the record, you started it first." He tells me, still smiling. "But for now, I claim the victory this time."

"Hmpf… fine. You win this round, Naruto." I mumbled as I turned my head, looking away. "Enjoy your victory while it lasts." He just chuckles.

"Hey, Kazumi-chan…" Naruto said after a minute. I turned my head back to look up at him.

"Hmm, what is it Naruto?" I ask. He pushed himself up and sat down beside me. I lifted myself up so I was sitting up right. "What's on your mind?"

"Well…" he started. "You see, I have something I want to ask you." he says while he rubs the back of his neck.

"Hmm, ask me what?" I asked. Naruto looked at me for a minute. He soon opened his mouth to say something but…

"Hey! Naruto-Nii-chan! Kazumi-Nee-chan!"

Naruto looked ahead while I turned my head. There we spotted Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi making their way towards us. They were all running with Konohamaru leading them. As he ran, he was smiling while he waved one hand in the air. I assumed he was doing so to catch our attentions. Well… he was able to accomplish that task.

"Huh? I wonder what Konohamaru and the others are doing out here?" I asked out loud.

"I don't have a clue. But we're about to find out." Naruto tells me. "Hey, Konohamaru. What's up?" Naruto asks as the three young Genin stood before us.

"Come on, Naruto. Don't tell me you forgot." Konohamaru whined. Naruto and I just have him a confused look. Konohamaru just shook his head. "You promise you'll help me with my training today."

"Oh yeah, that's right." Naruto said to himself, clearing remembering his promise. "Uh, what are we working on today?"

"Um, I think you two said something about stealth." Moegi answered. Konohamaru walked up and took a hold of Naruto's arm, trying to pull him up.

"So come on. Let's get started." Konohamaru tells him.

"I thought Ebisu Sensei was in charge of your team?" I asked. "Shouldn't he be helping out with your training as well?"

"Yeah, but we have no idea where he is." Moegi says. "Hey, Kazumi. Can you help us out too?" she asks. "I mean, I'll feel better if there was another girl around. Besides, I think someone should keep a close eye on these two." She says as she gestures to Naruto and Konohamaru.

"Sure, why not." I say with a shrug. "And I have to agree with you. I think someone does need to keep a close eye on them. We can't have them fooling around now do we?"

"What's that suppose to mean?" Konohamaru asks.

"Oh please. Knowing the two of you, you'll probably try abandoning your stealth training and start working on your _unethical _training techniques." I told him.

"Hey! My training techniques are not unethical at all!" Konohamaru yelled.

"Yeah, sure they're not, Konohamaru." I said with sarcasm.

"Come on, Naruto!" Konohamaru says once more.

"Okay, okay." Naruto tells him.

Naruto and I both stand up, returning to our full heights. While we did so, Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon proceeded to move towards the center of the field. Naruto was about to follow but I caught a hold of his arm, making him stop. He turned and looked back towards me.

"Hey. What did you wanted to say earlier?" I asked. He shook his head calmly and gave me a small genuine smile.

"It… it was nothing, really." He says.

"Okay, if you're sure." I tell him. He nods once more.

"Yeah, I am." He assures me. "Now come on, Kazumi-chan. Let's go teach these kids how it's done." He says with enthusiasm in his voice.

"Heh, right." I said with a nod.

* * *

**So... that was chapter eleven. I'll try to post the next chapter on time but I'm still working on a few things. I am still following the canon but I also want to add a few of my own ideas in the story.**

**-Kazumi**


	12. A New Mission Determined

_Tale of The Crimson Kitsune And The Silver Ookami_

_Chapter Twelve: A New Mission Determined, Journey To The Land Of Waves_

**(A few days later) Unknown Location, Normal Point of View:**

Deep inside a hidden underground hideout, an all-too-familiar figure was seen sitting up in a large bed. The only light source within the room came from a dim candlelight, which caused golden snake eyes to look even more sinister than what they already were. Suddenly the only exit from the room, a large wooden door creaked opened. Dim yellow light, from outside the room, casted the individual's shadow along the side wall. Once within the room, the black silhouette of a young man was soon revealed.

"You called for me, Orochimaru-sama?" the young man asked.

"Kabuto…" Orochimaru stated quietly. "I need you to do something. "I need for you to send one of my _loyal_ experiments to the Land of Waves."

"The… The Land of Waves…?" Kabuto questioned as he raised an eyebrow. "Why do you need me to send one of your experiments to such a place?"

"You see… I heard of there being a certain individual living there. And I've been searching for them for quite some time now." Orochimaru explained. "All this time, I thought I killed them all. But I've come to find out that I missed one. And now, I do believe it's time for me to take what belongs to me."

"As you command, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto said as he respectively bowed. "I'll find one who is right for this mission and send them out immediately." With that, Kabuto left the room, closing the door behind him. Once the door clicked shut, Orochimaru just sat there, snickering evilly.

"They all retaliated against me, causing me to eliminate every single one of them. And as a result, they kept me from obtaining my goal." Orochimaru said quietly to himself. "But if my theory is correct, I will find them. And once I have that ability, I would have another clan talent at my disposal."

* * *

**Kazumi's Point of View:**

When I was awakened by the ringing of my alarm clock, I quickly reached over and turned it off. Once silence recaptured my room, I just laid there for a minute, staring at the ceiling. Even though I had a good night's rest, I detested waking up early. At this moment, I wish I could just sleep in but that wasn't going to happen. But while I laid there, for some odd reason, I had a terrible feeling lingering in the pit of my stomach. And in the back of my mind, I had a feeling that something was going to happen today. I didn't know what or when exactly, but it was going to happen. I slowly sat myself up, pondering at the thoughts that ran wild inside my head.

After a minute, I finally push those thoughts to the far reaches of my mind, deciding to worry about them at another time. I finally got out of bed, straightened the sheets and walked over to my closet to pull out my clothes. I soon walked to my dresser and grabbed my underclothes. After laying everything on my bed, I quickly ran into the bathroom to get ready. About thirty minutes later, I was fully dressed. I grabbed my katana and exited my room, heading downstairs. Once I finished eating breakfast, I jumped into my shoes, exited the apartment, locked up and went on my way.

"Hmm…? I wonder why I still have this bad feeling." I asked distinctly to myself. "Well, whatever is causing this; I hope it doesn't interfere with my mission. However, I still have my doubts."

Once more, I shook my head, trying to make these thoughts disappear. I had other things to worry about. I focused my attention back forward and continued on my way towards the hospital. After arriving, I signed the visitor's list and proceeded towards his room. Once at his door, I firmly but quietly knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.

"Come in!" I heard Nii-san's voice call out. I slowly open the door to find Kakashi sitting up in bed. Lady Tsunade and Sakura were inside the room as well.

"Good morning, Lady Tsunade, Nii-san, Sakura." I greeted as I entered, closing the door quietly behind me.

"Morning, Imouto." Kakashi replied.

"Good morning, Kazumi." Lady Tsunade and Sakura said together.

"So…? How's he doing today, Lady Tsunade?" I ask as I walked farther into the room. As I did, I spotted Naruto sound asleep in the next bed over. "_Huh? Did Naruto really stay here?_" I thought to myself.

"Well… everything seems fine." She explains as she turns to look at me. "So it looks like I'll be discharging him today."

"If you don't mind me asking…" Kakashi says, catching all of our attentions. "You're not letting me go early so I can take my extra "baggage" out here with me, is it?" he asks as he points over to Naruto. We all looked over at blonde-haired boy, who was still sawing logs.

"Well, yes, there's that too." Lady Tsunade admits.

"That fool, Naruto, has been camped out inside this hospital room for days. Just so he can resume training the minute you recover." Sakura states truthfully.

"Actually, I was kind of hoping I could take it easy and recuperate at home for a few days before getting back into it." Kakashi explains. He soon looks back and glances at his ruined books that sat on the nightstand. "But since I've ran out of reading material any, I suppose I might as well start his training."

"Hm. That's the spirit." Lady Tsunade replies.

"So let me get this straight. The only reason you're going to start his training now is because you ran out of reading material?" I asked with a raised eyebrow as I folded my arms against my chest. "Nii-san, that's a pitiful excuse. No, scratch that. That's not even an excuse to begin with. And just for that, I should go back home and gather every single one of those damn books of yours and burn 'em."

"Now, now. There's no need to be violent, Imouto." Kakashi says warily as he holds his hands up in a surrendering manner.

"**RASEN-!"** Naruto suddenly yells out. This immediately catches all of our attentions, including Sakura. She held a pissed off look on her face as she walks over to Naruto's bedside.

"_Uh oh. This isn't going to end well._" I thought.

"Hey you idiot! Wake the hell up!" Sakura screams into the blonde's ears, causing him to shoot up in an instant. Naruto soon turns his head, looking at her with a half asleep, half awake look on his face.

"Hey there, you ugly whore. Huh?" Naruto mumbles incoherently. Unfortunately, Sakura had ears like a hawk and heard every word.

"_Oh shit... Please tell me that didn't just come out of Naruto's mouth?_" I thought to myself. While I faced Naruto, I glanced over at Sakura, keeping a very close eye on her. "_She's about to blow her top in 3...2...1..._"

"Cha! What you say, Naruto!?" Sakura screams at the top of her lungs.

"Ah, Sakura!" Naruto yells after he finally wakes up completely.

"_And there it is._" I thought as I quickly rush over and put Sakura in a full nelson, keeping her from striking the hell out of Naruto. "Sakura, take it easy. Naruto didn't know what he was saying. He was half asleep." I tried explaining as I fought to keep my grip. "Naruto! Hurry up and apologize before she tries to kill you!"

"I'm sorry, Sakura, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it! Honest!" Naruto quickly yells.

"I'm going to kill you, Naruto!" she yells.

"Damn it Sakura, calm down! We're in a hospital and you should know better!" I yelled. "And I swear if you hit me or even attempt to do so, there will be hell to pay!"

After awhile, I was able to get Sakura to calm down. I was also able to keep her from striking Naruto as well. Once Naruto and Nii-san got dressed, we proceeded to leave. With the exception of Sakura, we all left the hospital. Naruto and Kakashi headed straight towards the training grounds while Lady Tsunade and I made our way to her office at the Hokage Mansion.

* * *

**Hokage Mansion:**

Once arriving at the tower, Lady Tsunade and I proceeded to climb the spiraling staircase, making our way to her office. In no time at all, we were standing in front of the door. As Lady Tsunade entered, I followed her. Inside I found Sai standing quietly before Lady Tsunade's desk. I approached him and stood beside him. Meanwhile, Lady Tsunade sat down in her chair as she quietly began searching through a few folders, files and other documents.

"Good morning, Sai." I greeted.

"Oh, good morning." He greeted back.

"Since you're both here, I can begin." Lady Tsunade says as she opens a yellow file. "Normally I would send your team to take care of missions. But with Kakashi and Yamato preoccupied with Naruto and his training and with Sakura busy at the hospital, you two are the only ones of Team Kakashi that are available."

"If I may ask, Lady Tsunade. Exactly what kind of mission are you speaking of?" I ask.

"It's a simple C-rank mission. An escort mission to be exact." She answers. "You are to escort and guard a small gold convoy from Konoha to the Land of Waves."

"The Land of Waves?" Sai and I asked together. I sounded a bit more surprised.

"_Oh man. It's been awhile since I've been there. I wonder how much things have changed since Zabuza was defeated._" I thought.

"Kazumi, I know you are familiar with the area, so its common sense to assign you to this mission." Lady Tsunade explained. "Sai, she'll fill you in on whatever you need to know about the location."

"Yes, of course." Sai says.

"However, escorting the gold convoy is just the first part of the mission." Lady Tsunade said. "You have a second task."

"Huh? A second task?" We both ask.

"Yes. You see, there have been recent reports from the citizens stating that some strange activity is occurring there." Lady Tsunade explains. "They've tried handling the situation but it seems it must have been more than what they originally thought."

"It must be if they are requesting help from Konoha." Sai stated.

"Well, according to the reports, there have been several sightings of a small group of snow leopards strangely appearing near an old abandoned compound. This compound was once inhabited by a forgotten Ichizoku of the Land of Waves." She explains.** (a/n: Ichizoku=Clan)** "But for some reason, every member mysteriously vanished nearly thirteen years ago. Now all that stands are fallen buildings and other structures."

"These snow leopards. Are they really a danger?" I ask. "I mean. Are they attacking the villagers nearby or something?"

"Well, as of the moment, there haven't been any attacks within the neighboring town or market areas. They are keeping away from the citizens. However, this doesn't stop the villagers from fearing these creatures." She answers. "There've also been reports about ninja being dispatched to take care of them. However, they would go missing for a day or so. And once they finally reappear, they return unconscious and with severe injuries. They each would have similar claw marks across their backs, shoulders or abdomens."

"Well, that sure doesn't sound like an ordinary animal attack." Sai states. "It sounds like these leopards aren't pretty fond of ninja."

"Aren't pretty fond of ninja? Sounds like to me that they absolutely hate us." I told Sai as I folded my arms. "However, now that I think about it…"

"Hmm? What is it Kazumi?" Lady Tsunade asks.

"Well, I can't help but ponder at this." I say as I look up at her. "When these ninja were attacked, were they anywhere near the abandoned compound or were they closer to the town and market areas?"

"Hmm, that's a good question. The reports didn't say." Lady Tsunade says as she turns sideways in her chair with her arms folded.

"It seems that we may have to investigate." Sai points out. "And it pretty obvious that we should start near that abandoned compound. Who knows, we just might find something."

"Yeah, you're right." I agreed.

"Alright, then it's settled." Lady Tsunade says as she turns to face us. "You two are going to first escort the convoy. And once that's completed, you are to move on to the second part, which is to search for these Snow Leopards. Gather all the information you can. And if need be, eliminate them."

"Understood." We stated sternly.

"Good. The information I have explained, as well as a few other key notes, are within this envelope." Lady Tsunade adds as she extends out the folder. I nodded and walk forward and take a hold of the folder. "You are to meet up with the client in exactly one hour. This should give you both plenty of time to gather the necessary items you'll need on this mission. Your primary task, complete both parts of the mission."

"Right." We state together.

"Good. You're both dismissed." She tells us.

* * *

After leaving the Lady Tsunade's office, Sai and I headed out and went our separate ways to gather the necessary items we may need on our journey. Once I had everything, I threw my backpack over my shoulder and started making my way to the main entrance of the village. A couple of minutes pass and pretty soon Sai arrived. While we stood there, we started a small conversation amongst each other while we waited for the client to appear.

"So what can you tell me about the Land of Waves, Wolfy?" Sai asked me. I narrowed my eyes at Sai, my right eyebrow twitching a bit.

"What did you just call me?" I asked him.

"Huh? Well I called you Wolfy." He says. I had to bite my tongue in order to keep myself for going off on him. I took in a deep breath and stopped glaring.

"Sai… Do I look like a dog to you?" I asked him as I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"No." he says.

"Okay. Now that we have that cleared, I have another question." I tell him. "Why in the hell would you give me a name you would give to a dog?"

"Well, you are a wolf/hound user right?" he asks me.

"Yeah." I replied.

"So since that's a part of your character, I figured that the name Wolfy was perfect for you." he explains. "Wouldn't you agree?"

I just looked at Sai as I rubbed the back of my neck, "Look Sai… it's true that most nicknames do come from the characteristics of a person, but they are created through different means as well." I explained to him. "However, that doesn't mean you shouldn't give your names some thought. You really have to think about them before you use them."

"Huh? What do you mean?" he asks.

I sighed quietly, "Look, we don't have time for a long elaborate discussion about this. So we'll continue this at another time." I told him. "So from now on, how about we just focus on our mission. Once it's over then I'll explain. Deal?"

"Right." he says.

"Alright, let me see. Where to begin?" I asked myself, getting back on the main topic. "The Land of Waves is located on an island, which neighbors the Land of Fire. It doesn't have its own Hidden Village and relies on the assistance of other Hidden Villages. For instance, take Konoha for an example. It was once under the control of a man named Gato, but he was dealt with by the Demon of the Mist: Zabuza Momochi. However, Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto and I were able to defeat him and a boy by the name of Haku. And with them gone, I believe that things have gotten better for the people there."

"What's the geography of the island?" he asks.

"Well, it has several rivers running through it." I answered. "So, given the time passed since I visited, the vegetation around some of the areas that are close to these rives has probably grown."

"If that's true, then finding these leopards may be a challenge." Sai says.

"Well, that's not exactly true." I state.

"Huh? What do you mean?" he asks.

"I mean, if there's even a trace of their scent left, I may be able to trace it." I explain. "Plus, I can also use my ninja wolves to help locate the leopards if I'm not able to do so."

"Yes, I see." He says.

"Yeah. But first things first. We have to complete the first part of our mission, which is escorting this gold convoy." I reminded him. "Once that's completed, we'll move straight into our next assignment."

"Right." he says. "Uh, if you don't mind me asking. What were you and the others doing at the Land of Waves anyway?"

"The same reason why we're going now." I answered. "It was a simple C-Rank, escorting mission. We had to escort this bridge builder, Tazuna, back home. In the end, the mission went from a C-Rank to an A-Rank because we had to deal with the rouge ninja, Zabuza."

"Hmm, interesting." He says.

* * *

A good fifteen minutes pass us by until the client finally appeared, right on time. He was an older gentleman, wearing simple clothing that most pedestrians wore around the village. Behind him, he was pulling a horse that was hooked to a small cart.

"Hello." The man greeted. "You must be the young ninja that was assigned to guard me back to the Land of Waves, right?"

"Oh yes, that's right. We are." I replied. "My name is Kazumi."

"And you can call me Sai." Sai adds.

"Well, It's nice to meet you, Kazumi. Sai." The man said. "My name is Kazuo. Kazuo Nakano."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Kazuo-san." Sai and I said together.

"If you're ready, we can proceed towards the Land of Waves." I tell him.

"Lead the way." He tells me. With a slight nod, Sai and I proceeded forward, leading the way as we start our journey.

* * *

**Training Grounds, Normal Point of View:**

"All right. Let's get started." Kakashi tells Naruto. Naruto just chuckles as he stands before his former sensei. "What?"

"It's just, it's like…, you haven't trained me in so long, Kakashi sensei. I have no idea why, but it makes me really happy." Naruto explains as he smiles.

"I see." Kakashi replies and the two start laughing together. Kakashi was the first to stop after a few seconds. "Well, I guess if you want to laugh, you better do it now. Because it will be your only chance to do so." That causes Naruto to stop instantly. "Because we only have a short amount of time."

After hearing this, Naruto quickly stops laughing all together and his face expression becomes serious. Seeing that he had calmed down, Kakashi continued as he began to explain things to his pupil.

"Like I said before, we are going to help you create your own ultimate ninjutsu." Kakashi continues. "One that surpasses the Rasengan. And to do so, Chakra nature and shape manipulation are essential to the process."

"Shape and nature manipulation?" Naruto asks.

"Of course. You won't get it if I explain them both at the same time." Kakashi said after catching on to the confused look on the blonde's face. "We'll start with shape manipulation. So create a Rasengan."

"Got it. One Rasengan coming right up!" Naruto says as he performs a hand sign, creating a shadow clone. In no time at all, he creates the Rasengan in his right hand. **"Rasengan!"** Naruto yells as he prepares to strike the ground but Kakashi quickly stop him.

"As you can see, you've already mastered chakra shape manipulation." Kakashi points out. "That's what your Rasengan is."

"Huh? My Rasengan…?" Naruto asks.

"You see, you rotate your raw chakra wildly at extreme speeds, and compress the energy." Kakashi tells him. "That's shape manipulation itself, which you could say the Rasengan takes it to the ultimate level."

"So I've passed shape manipulation, then?" Naruto asks.

"That's right." Kakashi says.

"All right!" Naruto exclaims happy as he holds the Rasengan into the air, allowing it to dissipate.

"Now we will work on chakra nature manipulation." Kakashi says.

"That's the part where I add my element to my attack right? The same that you and Kazumi do with your lightning elements." Naruto asks.

"That's right." Kakashi says.

"Right! So if I use that nature-thingy on Rasengan, I'll have a new technique in no time!" Naruto exclaims happily.

"Don't take this so lightly. You have no idea how to use nature manipulation, for starters." Kakashi points out. "Actually, you don't even know which element you have an affinity for."

"Element what?" Naruto asks.

"I figured I would have to explain this." Kakashi says quietly to himself. "Okay. There are only five basic types of chakra element natures. They are fire, wind, water, lightning and earth. the Five Great Shinobi Nations are named for these elements, and they form the foundation of all ninjutsu."

"Oh, I see now. Cool." Naruto replies.

"Most people's chakra naturally leans towards a certain element." Kakashi continues. "For the example, the Uchiha were geared towards fire, thus, they were exceptionally skilled in fire element techniques."

"And in some cases, people have more than one element." Naruto adds. "Like for Sasuke, he has two, fire and lightning. Kazumi has three, lightning, wind and earth. And you have four; lightning, fire, water and earth. Right?"

"Hmm. I'm a little surprised that you were able to catch on so fast, Naruto." Kakashi tells him.

"Well, Kazumi-chan and I had a conversation about this stuff not too long ago. So I guess the information is sort of still in my head." Naruto explains.

"Well, since you understand that part, it's time for us to figure out what chakra nature you possess." Kakashi says as he pulls out sheets of paper.

"What are those?" Naruto asks.

"We'll find out your chakra nature with these slips of paper. This is unique paper that reacts to even the slightest amount of chakra." Kakashi explains. "If you're lightning-natured, the paper will wrinkle. It will tear in half for wind. Burn if you're fire. Become wet if you're water. And crumbles if you're earth."

Naruto takes one of the slips and begins to direct his chakra into it. A minute later, Kakashi and Naruto witness the paper split into two pieces. This indicated that Naruto's chakra nature was wind, which was a very good quality for fighting.

* * *

**(Time skip no Jutsu) Kazumi's Point of View:**

We made it to the Land of Waves with no trouble at all. We spotted a few wild animals here and there, but nothing serious enough to be considered a real threat. I guess we were lucky this time around. After crossing the Great Naruto Bridge, we entered the nearby town and proceeded towards our destination. Before long, we made it to a building that looked like some kind of tower.

"Well, here we are." Kazuo says as he turns towards me and Sai. "Looks like this is where we part ways. Thank you for your help."

"You're very much welcome." I tell him. With that, Kazuo turns around and proceeds into the tower. Once he entered through the large gates, they closed behind him. "Well, that concludes the first part of our mission." I say as I turned to look at Sai.

"Then we should move on with the next part." He says. "Wouldn't you agree, Pup?" he asks with a smile on his face.

Once again my right eyebrow started to twitch a little as I tried to keep my anger at bay, "Sai, that's the fifth nickname you've came up with. And just like the last four, it's ticking me off." I tell him. "Now if you can't come up with a decent nickname, just call me by the name I was born with."

"What's wrong with that name?" he asks all innocently.

"Sai, we are currently on a mission. And I know it will hurt our chances of completing it if I hurt you right now." I told him. "So can you refrain from using that or any other little nicknames you come up with?"

"Sakura told me that a nickname isn't just created by someone's characteristics, but also that it just comes naturally." Sai tells me.

"Well, that's true. But…" I tell him as we start moving. I sighed quietly. "You don't do it right off the bat. I told you that. It takes time. You usually have to get to know the one you befriended before giving him/her a nickname."

"Hmm, I see." I hear him say to himself.

"Look, there's no need to stress yourself out about this." I assured him. "Honestly, in some cases, nicknames aren't really needed. People are just fine with you using their name."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." He says. "Yeah, thanks, Kazumi-san."

"See, now that's a lot better. But really, there's no need to be so formal, Sai. After all, we're friends here." I assured him. "Now then, we better get moving."

"Uh, right." Sai says. "Where are we heading? I thought we were going to head over to the area that's been reported."

"We are. But I figured I would ask a friend of mine about the area first." I explained. "They may have more information that hasn't been reported."

"Who are you referring to?" he asks.

"The one I'm referring to, her name is Tsunami. She's Tazuna's daughter." I tell him. "Tazuna is the bridge builder we helped out three years ago. We befriended him and his family while we were on a mission to help the Land of Waves."

"I see. And since she lives here, she'll know more on the situation then we do." He says.

"My point exactly." I replied. "All right then, just follow me." I told him as I proceeded to head to Tazuna's house."

**_"So you mean you don't like to be called pup, Pup?" Kiyiya asks me._**

"_I never said that I hate being called that, Kiyiya._" I assured her. "_It's different when someone else uses that nickname. It just feels, well… unnatural. I mean, it feels natural with you because, technically, I am sort of your pup._"

**_"I'm only teasing ya, I know how you feel." She says with a slight chuckle in her voice. "Lighten up a little." I couldn't help but to shake my head at her._**

* * *

As Sai and I walked through town, I found that things had definitely changed. There were more people walking around, including more venders. The place looked livelier, especially since the last time I was here. Gato was gone, and so was Zabuza and Haku. So I can see why people were so happy around here. A few minutes past before we made it to a house that was suspended above the water. We walked up to the front door and I gently knocked three times.

I quickly glanced back at Sai, "Uh, please try to watch what you say, okay." I whispered.

"Right." he says with a nod.

"Inari! Please get the door!" I heard a familiar feminine voice call out.

"Okay, mom!" A younger male voice called back. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal an older looking young boy.

"Yes, can I help you?" he asks.

"Wow, look how big you've gotten in three years, Inari." I told him as I sent him a masked smile. "You've certainly grown up."

"Huh? Wait, do I know…?" he started as he continued to look at me. A few seconds later, I saw his eyes light up in realization. "Hold on. Kazumi?"

"Yep, you got it." I told him.

"Oh wow! Kazumi!" he says as he lunges forward to hug me, which I gladly return. "It's great to see you."

"Heh, great to see you too." I told him. When he let me go and steps back, he glances off to the side to look over at Sai as he stood behind me.

"Uh, who is that?" he asks. "Wait. Is he your boyfriend or something? And here I thought you'll end up with Naruto." I couldn't help but to look at Inari with widened eyes. I soon closed them tight, my right eye started to twitch a little.

"Inari, Sai isn't my boyfriend." I quickly tell him. "He's my teammate, a very good friend of mine and of Naruto's." I explain. "Sai, this is Inari. Inari, Sai."

"Hi." Inari greets.

"Uh, hello." Sai greets back.

"You see, we just finished the first part of our mission and before we moved to the next task, we were hoping you could help us out." I soon added.

"Who's at the door, Inari?" a young woman asks as she walks to the door. "Huh? Kazumi! I thought I heard a familiar voice."

* * *

"I see. So you guys are currently on a mission?" Tsunami asks as she places a cup of tea down in front of me and then Sai.

"Yes, that's right." I answered.

"Lady Tsunade told us about there being some kind of disturbance. And that some leopards were the problem." Sai adds.

"Do you have any idea what's going on, Tsunami-chan?" I ask.

"Well, I did hear that the attacks mainly happen near the old abandon ruins of the Honoka Ichizoku compound." She tells us.

"Uh? The Honoka Ichizoku?" I ask.

"Hmm, come to think of it, I've never heard them before." Sai says.

"Well I'm not surprised. They weren't very well known like others." Tsunami explains as she takes a seat. "They were a small group, but I heard rumors that they were a close relative to the Inuzuka Ichizoku of the Hidden Leaf." "Hmm, Kiba's Ichizoku, huh? "I didn't know that." I say quietly. "Tsunami-chan, is there anything else you can tell us?"

"Hmm, let me see. Well, the Honoka Ichizoku had this ability to transform into their spirit animal." Tsunami continued. "And unlike the Inuzuka, they had different spirit animals. From birds to reptiles, mammals, so on and so forth."

"So what exactly happened to them?" Sai asks.

"You see, thirteen years ago, the entire Ichizoku was eliminated by some evil force." Tsunami added. "They said no one survived."

"Well that explains why we never heard of them up until now." I said. "But after hearing this, what if there was a survivor or survivors. What if they are the ones causing the disturbance?"

"I don't know, Kazumi. That's a bit of a long shot." Sai tells me. "I mean like Tsunami-san said, it's been thirteen years since the Honoka were eliminated. I'm not sure that there's anyone left."

"That may be, Sai, but I'm still counting it as a possibility." I tell him. "So I'm not ruling out that theory. Well, not yet anyway. Oh, I've been meaning to ask. Where's Tazuna-san? I figured I would see him here and say hello."

"Oh, he's away building another bridge." Inari tells me.

"Oh, I see." I said.

"So Kazumi?" Tsunami says, catching my attention. "How are Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi sensei doing?"

"Oh. Everyone is doing all right." I told her. "They are all busy with some things, so they couldn't make it this time around. But I'll be sure to tell them all you and Inari say hi."

"That's good to hear." She says.

"Umm, Tsunami-chan, do you have any idea where the Honoka Ichizoku compound is? Or know where the building used to stand?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Well, it's on the outskirts of town just east of here." She tells me. "I can show you on a map tomorrow. In the meantime, you all are welcome to stay her for the night."

"Uh, I wouldn't want to intrude." I tell her. "It's bad enough that I haven't said anything about our journey here ahead of time."

"Nonsense, Kazumi. It's quite alright." Tsunami assures me. "Besides, it's great to have company over from time to time."

"Oh, well okay. Thank you very much." I tell her, bowing.

"Yes, thank you." Sai says as he bows as well.

"Kazumi, you know there's no need for that. Same goes for you as well, Sai." Tsunami tells us. "After what you and your friends did for us, we are welcome to help you and any of your friends out at anytime."

"Hey, Kazumi." Inari says. "I bet you've gotten way stronger since the last time I saw you, right?"

"Yeah, I have." I told him as I sent him a smile. "Back then, I was just a Genin. But now, I've made the rank of Chūnin."

"You think you can show me a few things?" he asks.

"Sure, why not. I have time to spare." I told him. "It would be just like old times."

"Yeah." He says happily. "So let's head out now!" he exclaims excitedly as he jumps to his feet and rushes over to the door.

"Not so fast, Inari." Tsunami says, causing the young boy to stop dead in his tracks. "You have chores to finish before you go out to do anything."

"Oh man, but mom." Inari whined.

"Don't worry, Inari. I'm not going anywhere." I told him. "Go on and finish up your chores and we can hang out afterwards. And if you need some help, I'll be glad to give you a hand."

"Wow. Thanks, Kazumi." He says with a smile.

"Heh, don't mention it." I told him.

* * *

**Hidden Leaf Village, Normal Point of View:**

Inside the training grounds, Captain Yamato and Kakashi were sitting down as they watched Naruto begin the first phase of his training. Naruto had created hundreds of his clones, attempting to create a cut within the leaves they were all grasping. So far he was only able to slice the leaf to the center. He still had quite a ways to go before he could slice the leaf in half without any trouble. While Kakashi was reading his book, one of the clones suddenly came up to him.

"Hey, Hey! There's something I want to ask you, Kakashi sensei." He says.

"Hmm? What is it?" Kakashi asks.

"Where's Kazumi-chan?" Naruto asks. "I was thinking that since she has a wind element just like me, she could give me some tips on how I can get better at this."

"Hmm, well, you see, she's not in the village right now." Kakashi tells him.

"Huh? What do you mean? I saw her not too long ago." Naruto points out.

"That may be true, but Lady Tsunade assigned Kazumi and Sai to a mission." Kakashi explains. "So they won't be back for awhile."

"What!? Grandma Tsunade assigned Sai and Kazumi-chan to a mission without me!" Naruto yells. "How the hell is that fair!?"

"Calm down." Kakashi tells him bluntly. "First of all you have to worry about your training and creating your own ninjutsu above anything else. And second, it's a just simple C-Rank mission. So you're not missing out on much."

"Yeah, but still." Naruto mumbled to himself. "Okay then, Kakashi sensei! So when you trained Kazumi-chan, how did you help her with controlling her wind element?" he asks. "Are there any tips you could give that can help me out?"

"Well, it's true that Kazumi has trained with me." Kakashi tells him. "However, she didn't learn how to control her wind element from me."

"What!? You have to be kidding me!" Naruto exclaimed.

"No, I'm not." Kakashi says as he shakes he's head. "You see, she had a slightly different teacher to show her the ropes."

"Well isn't there anybody else in Konoha with a "Wind" element?" Naruto asks.

"…Well, there is someone but…" Kakashi started. "He should be playing Shougi* around this time…"

"Huh? Who?" Naruto asks.

"Asuma." Kakashi answers.

* * *

**And there you have it, chapter twelve. I thought long and hard about either going through with the Sora arc or not. So in the end, I didn't. Yeah, I mean its mostly a filler arc anyway, so... yeah. So I decided to add in my own ideas. Tell me what ya think. Oh, by the way, the Honoka Clan belongs to my friend, BlackPitbull. Plus his OCs will be appearing in the next chapter.**

**- Kazumi.**


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